In his second week of starting under center, Bailey Zappe showed up and flourished.
The New England Patriots rookie third-string quarterback minced the Cleveland Browns secondary on Sunday with a 24-for-32 passing performance with 309 yards and two scores.
Zappe, who is growing a cult following in New England more than any quarterback not named Tom Brady ever has, is enjoying the spotlight and the attention. While Zappe isn’t by any means Brady in his heyday, he certainly looked the part of a quarterback with experience against the Browns.
Zappe maneuvered the pocket well despite a strip sack early in the game, and stuck to the game plan where he spread his passing around to seven different receivers.
The rookie said the support system around him has helped him gain comfort on the field, leading to his second win as a starter.
“Definitely my teammates and my coaches (has made me feel more comfortable,)” Zappe said. “They have definitely supported me. I ask a lot of questions on the sidelines and they keep me calm on the field. When you have guys like we have on the offensive side, it is very easy.”
While Zappe is certainly playing well, it’s important to remember the teams he has played against. The Detroit Lions are third in passing yards and rushing yards allowed, the worst red zone defense in the league and have allowed the most points in the NFL — even with a Week 6 bye. The Browns aren’t much better, and are one of, if not the worst rushing defense with a bottom third passing defense in the league. If there are two teams to make your first NFL starts against, they’re probably the ones most people would want a rookie to start against, so the success he’s had needs to be taken with who he’s been up against.
Would Mac Jones play better? Maybe. Probably. We don’t know. Mac started the season poorly, a level of play that would put him on the hot seat if he wasn’t fresh off a Pro Bowl-caliber season and a starter for the Patriots. Bill Belichick and the Patriots have fully committed to Mac as their QB1 and it’s rightfully earned. But how long can Zappe sustain this success until Mac’s job is actually in danger?
I wouldn’t put Mac on the hot seat just yet, but if his return brings a poor outing, then I would not be shocked to see Belichick go to his rookie again. It’s impossible to compare and contrast the analytics between Mac and Zappe with limited time compared to one another but the eye test with last year involved gives Mac the edge.
By the numbers through three games though? Zappe holds the advantage in passing completion percentage (73 to 66), passer rating (109 to 76) and has faced seven more blitzes with the same amount of sacks and hurries. Mac out numbers in him total passing yards, mostly due to the rushing game picking up tremendously over the last three weeks, but the numbers aren’t too far off. But again, the opponents need to be considered.
I like to leave looking way too deep into the quarterback situation for the guys at WEEI or The Sports Hub. Bigger names and outlets in media love to stir up a quarterback controversy when there isn’t one and it’s not just a New England thing. I’m not nearly seasoned enough to say I’ve lived through one but I do know enough to say that when a good thing is rolling, not to mess with it.
I’ll revisit that thought in three weeks when I become the guy calling for Mac to be benched.
Mid-week thoughts
One of the other displays of rookie prowess on Sunday came from Tyquan Thornton, a highly anticipated receiver who is slowly finding his role in an offense that is uncharacteristically deep at the moment. Thornton’s speed was on full display on a jet sweep rushing score where he turned a corner and took off past the Browns defense, untouched for a score. He finished with four catches on five targets, 37 yards a and receiving score to go with his rushing score and 16 yards rushing.
Thornton missed time due to being put on the injury reserve to repair a fractured clavicle. The second-round pick is likely to see his role expand greatly as he gets more immersed in the offense with Nelson Aghlolor playing his way out of New England, Kendrick Bourne potentially dealing with turf toe and Lil’Jordan Humphrey being bumped down to the practice squad. Thornton is a weapon, a hybrid type receiver-back that is becoming more popular in today’s NFL. He may not be Deebo Samuel, but he could be in due time
Isaiah Wynn, again, was terrible on Sunday. One of the worst pass protectors in the league, he had a 5 out of a possible 100 in pass-blocking by PFF’s rankings. He allowed four pressures, was flagged for a false start and allowed a sack in 21 drop backs. The right tackle is another Patriot who could be playing himself out of a starting role, with his snap count on Sunday down to a season-low 60%. Guard Cole Strange on the other hand has been fantastic and has silenced all critics, allowing just two sacks and committing no penalties in his 370 snaps played on offense (he hasn’t missed any since Week 1). His PFF rating is around 60, well above Wynn.
Sunday’s 324th career win put head coach Bill Belichick tied for second all-time in wins as a head coach, sharing the position with legendary head coach George Halas. Belichick said he is fortunate to have had many great players in his career as head coach, putting the wins on the players and not entirely on himself. The 70-year old Belichick has coached 27 years in the NFL (Halas coached 47), and shows no signs of slowing down as the man in charge of the Patriots.
If you’re anything like me and love “sicko” football, which at its core is not good football and made for the weirdos who love a bad brand of the game, then Monday Night Football has been a treat. The last six weeks of MNF have been brutal, especially this past Monday where Russell Wilson, playing in his second MNF game, looked nothing like his former self.
This week, it’ll be the Patriots hosting the Chicago Bears on Monday night at Gillette . The Bears sit at 2-4 entering the week but have an electrifying player in Justin Fields that has underwhelmed significantly this year. The Bears sit last in passing yards and are second in the league in rushing — making it two weeks in a row the Patriots have seen one of the best rushing attacks in the league. This could play favorably into the Patriots if they put the Bears in a position where they’re forced to throw the ball while down a score or two.