Photo by Dustin Bradford/Getty Images The second-year quarterback took over for Mac Jones in Week 13. The New England Patriots’ first play from scrimmage on Sunday night against the Denver Broncos was a classic “here we go again” moment. The makeshift offensive line surrendered quick pressure up the middle, quarterback Bailey Zappe was sacked, and the ball came loose with the defense recovering at the 6-yard line. But while things looked bleak at that point, the Patriots offense actually managed to show some signs of life for the remainder of the game. Obviously, the room for improvement is still massive, but all in all it was a step in the right direction. One man in particular had to do with that: Bailey Zappe. Starting his fourth game this season and sixth overall, the sophomore passer played arguably the best start-to-finish football of his career. In total, he completed 25 of 33 passes for 256 yards and a pair of touchdowns. Zappe did not light up the scoreboard, but he did make some good throws and decisions. He also was showcasing a skill far-too-rarely seen by New England quarterbacks this year: poise. “I thought he played really great. Shows a lot of poise, a lot of moxie,” said center David Andrews after New England’s 26-23 win. Zappe’s poise was key to the Patriots earning their fourth win this season. The Broncos, after all, decided to employ a blitz-heavy game plan in hopes of speeding up his process and forcing him into mistakes. And while that allowed Denver to hold the Patriots to only 19 offensive points on the day, they did fail to get a fatal error out of the young quarterback. Zappe’s pressure splits via Pro Football Focus illustrate this: when kept clean by an offensive line using yet another starting configuration, he completed 16 of 20 passes for 141 yards and 1 TD; under pressure, he went 9-of-13 for 115 and another score. “Bailey’s done a good job of when there’s nothing there getting the ball to the check-down. That’s why we’ve had so much success with him in there,” said running back Ezekiel Elliott after the game. “I’m proud of Bailey, just how much ownership he’s taken in this offense; how much leadership he has for this offense. ... “It means so much to everyone on the field when your quarterback commands your attention in the huddle, when he has confidence in there. You know that you’re going to be in a good spot.” Now four games into his career as the Patriots’ official starting quarterback — his two starts last season came in place of the injured Mac Jones and Brian Hoyer — Zappe is looking more and more settled-in. While that is unlikely to change the team’s need for an upgrade at quarterback in 2024, it is at least allowing them to finish the season stronger than initially thought possible. “There have been things on and off the field that I’ve looked back on that have improved,” Zappe himself said on Sunday. “From a football aspect, from seeing the defenses and understanding, pushing the ball down the field, and being smart with the ball. Things that in the preseason and last year, I was a little lackadaisical. Those are things that I try to improve on every day and try to do better at. “Off the field, just the preparation part. Watching film and understanding the game plan. Understanding how [Bill O’Brien] is going to call the game and being on the same page with him. The more and more weeks go by, the more that we will get closer and closer.” Source: https://www.patspulpit.com/2023/12/26/2 ... se-broncos
