Brian Fluharty-USA TODAY Sports Zappe drew his first start of the season in Week 13. Despite another stellar defensive performance, the New England Patriots came up short once more in Week 13. The team’s offense, which started Bailey Zappe at quarterback for the first time this season, was shut out in a 6-0 loss to the Los Angeles Chargers. But while the Zappe-led unit had another disappointing outing to drop the Patriots to 2-10 on the year, head coach Bill Belichick found some positives in the sophomore passer’s overall performance. “I thought he did some good things. Obviously, we didn’t produce any points offensively, so that wasn’t good. But that wasn’t just him, that’s everybody,” Belichick told WEEI’s The Greg Hill Show on Monday morning. “We just have to do a better job there. But no turnovers at the quarterback position, and there were some positive plays. We just need to make more of them.” Zappe entered the season as a backup to former first-round draft pick Mac Jones, and at one point even ended up on the chopping block. But despite his release ahead of roster cutdowns, he not only found his way back to the active roster via the practice squad, but eventually into the starting lineup. With Jones struggling, Zappe received semi-regular opportunities throughout the season. The second-year QB was inserted into the lineup on four different occasions over the Patriots’ first 11 games, and while he did not produce much of a spark either was able to draw the start against Los Angeles on Sunday. Zappe ended up going 13-of-25 for 141 yards, while also gaining 16 yards on four scramble plays. He also was sacked five times. “We did a few things well, run game, pass game,” the sophomore quarterback said after the game. “Some things I need to work on is of course understanding when the play’s over with, not taking a sack when you know you’re in field goal territory and you can get points. Just things like that. That falls on me. I’ve got to get better at it.” The Patriots offense as a whole managed just 257 yards and 13 first downs, which actually was on par with the Chargers’ production. However, it was not enough to overcome a mix of issues ranging from insufficient play — both from Zappe and his supporting cast — to some bad starting field position. “We moved the ball, we had some productive plays,” said Belichick about the Patriots’ offensive output. “We had a couple of explosive plays, but obviously didn’t have any points.” Belichick would not declare a starter for the upcoming Thursday night game against the Pittsburgh Steelers, but signs point toward Zappe getting another shot. The fact that he did not turn the ball over alone might be enough to keep him in the lineup. Source: https://www.patspulpit.com/2023/12/4/23 ... -belichick
