Six Initial Thoughts Following the Patriots Win Over Denver
(PHOTO: Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports) 🕑 Read Time: 7 minutes
Posted Under: Patriots Commentary
(PHOTO: Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports) 🕑 Read Time: 7 minutes
New England Patriots > Patriots Blog
(PHOTO: Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports) Some thoughts following an incredible win on Christmas Eve:
1) Sunday night’s game certainly had a little bit of everything.
New England had mistakes, turnovers, missed opportunities, but a collective effort on both sides of the football ultimately allowed them to weather the storm and come away with a 26-23 win out in Denver.
After losing the football on the first play of the game thanks to James Ferentz seemingly not being ready for the blitz the Broncos brought on that snap, Bailey Zappe and the Patriots’ offense appeared on the verge of seeing a repeat performance of a script that’s been all too familiar.
With the Broncos recovering the ball at the Patriots’ 9-yard line, it felt like a score by the Broncos was inevitable, with the stage set for another crazy night in the house of horrors that is playing in Denver.
Instead, New England’s defense saved the day. Bill Belichick’s unit came up with some key plays, including the Broncos being stopped on a 4th-and-2 to not only give the Patriots the ball back on downs, but more importantly, it kept Denver off the scoreboard and allowed Zappe and company time to get things together.
While they struggled early and Denver did manage to get on the board, Zappe settled down and put together a first half where he completed 10-of-13 (76.9%) for 92-yards, with Zappe finally carrying over some of that momentum into the second half.
He came out and completed 8-of-10 for 123 yards and two touchdowns in the third quarter, as the Patriots added two offensive touchdowns as well as a special teams touchdown to grab a 23-7 edge that they needed in order to ultimately hold off Denver.
New England’s final drive was certainly impressive, as they ran the ball twice to force Denver to burn their timeouts, with Zappe then given the keys as he completed three-straight throws, including an incredible 27-yard throw to DeVante Parker that got them past midfield, with Elliott and Mike Gesicki each catching passes of 5 and 4 yards respectively before spiking the ball.
Chad Ryland came out and drilled a 56-yard field goal, which ended up being the game-winner. That ended what had been a roller coaster of a night for a team that looked like they were on the verge of ending up with their 12th loss of 2023. Instead, they leave Denver with a much-needed win with two games left to play in what’s obviously been a disappointing season.
2) Meanwhile, Zappe ultimately finished the night 25-of-33 for 256-yards and two touchdowns. The quarterback said after getting off to a fast start, this one had a different feel, but as the game went on, they started to build confidence that they could have success against this group.
“It was kind of an opposite day for us,” said Zappe. “We’ve been starting fast the last few weeks, we started very slow. First play of the game, I fumbled, and then from there, you could just see the momentum for us, kind of just like, ‘alright, we can move the ball on these guys.’ That was kind of the whole mentality for us.”
“Going into that last drive, I think it was one minute and fifteen, whatever it was, just get close enough to where you know we have a shot – we could send Chad [Ryland] out there. Just however close we needed to get to try and get him there, and he made a hell of a kick. I mean, that was unbelievable.”
That final possession was impressive. Zappe first had to deal with the club running clock while understanding the situation, despite the lack of urgency they initially appeared to have. But Zappe took command of the huddle, executing each play while also maintaining his composure during that process.
Elliott told reports after the game that Zappe’s command in the huddle is something that he really appreciates, which he said was big today.
“Commanding the attention of the huddle,” said Elliott of the quality he appreciates of Zappe. “It means so much to everyone on the field when your quarterback commands your attention in that huddle. When he has confidence in there, you know you’re going to be in a good spot.”
(PHOTO: Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports)
3) One interesting note that came out of this game was the fact that Zappe apparently reached out to Kurt Warner, with the quarterback texting him while seeking out some guidance from the former NFL quarterback.
Zappe was asked about that after the game and he explained that the conversation took place after he was cut back in the start of the season, which Warner said was when he was questioning himself as a player.
Warner, who had his own difficult journey during his road into the NFL, was someone Zappe said obviously understood his situation. So he sought guidance and he expressed his gratitude about having someone like that he could reach out to.
The former NFL QB is no stranger to being in a similar situation. Warner had to fight to earn his role as the Rams starter, and then had to do it again later on in Arizona when the Cardinals drafted Matt Leinert to replace him.
That parallel clearly brought these two together, and it was interesting to hear Warner talk about that during the broadcast.
(PHOTO:Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports)
4) Christian Barmore and the defense had an incredible night, and you can’t say enough about his growth this season, despite where their record currently sits.
He finished Sunday night leading the team with tackles with eight, along with three huge sacks and four quarterback hits.
Several of those sacks came in key moments. One of the biggest came early in the third quarter, with Barmore dropping Russell Wilson for an 8 yard loss on their first play from scrimmage.
That immediately put them in a long-yardage situation, which ultimately saw Denver go three and out, with New England getting the ball to start the drive at their own 30-yard line.
Zappe immediately took advantage. As Denver brought pressure, he evaded their onslaught and slipped up in the pocket, while delivering a nice throw down the field to Demario Douglas that Zappe threw high enough over the defense and into his receiver’s hands for a 41-yard grab.
Four plays later, Zappe hit Elliott on swing pass to the right, which saw Elliott hurdle the defender as he went into the end zone.
Barmore did something similar later in the quarter. Facing a 3rd-and-13 from his own 12, Barmore dropped Wilson for a 9-yard loss as he spun him down at his own 3 yard line. That saw the Broncos forced to punt from deep in their own end, giving Zappe and the Patriots the ball at the Denver 42.
Zappe hit Parker for a 30-yard bomb that he hauled in deep down the left sideline, putting the football at the Broncos’ 12-yard line.
He then overcame a holding call on Atonio Mafi, finishing things off with a terrific pass to Mike Gesicki in the back of the end zone for an 11-yard touchdown, which happened on a play where Zappe faced significant pressure but rolled to his right and made the throw.
Barmore’s play helped massively affect field position Sunday night, and it played a key role in the win. He’s just been terrific all season, and despite being banged up (he’s been on the injury report every week since Week 3 [excluding Week 13] yet has missed just one practice) he hasn’t missed a game.’
He’s been outstanding, and Sunday night was definitely one of his best.
Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports)
5) Chad Ryland has had a tough stretch as of late, and it was good to see him get a shot at redemption after another rough start.
The rookie hit a 33-yard field goal early in this one but missed a 47-yard field goal near the end of the first half that allowed Denver to maintain a 7-3 edge heading into the locker room at the half.
After Zappe engineered a touchdown drive on their first offensive possession of the third quarter, Ryland also hit the left upright on the extra point attempt, which only gave the Patriots a 2-point edge at 9-7.
That continued a stretch where he had been inconsistent and couldn’t seem to string together any kicks.
However, his game winner from 56-yards was certainly good to see, and based on history, one would have to hope maybe it’s the start of better things. Anyone who was around back when Adam Vinatieri was starting out likely recalls the struggles he had early on that had his NFL career in jeopardy.
After multiple early season misses, which seemingly had Vinatieri on the verge of seeing his NFL career cut short before it really got started, the rookie hit a game-winning kick against the Jacksonville Jaguars that changed the trajectory of his young career.
Obviously, things started going in a much different direction and the rest is well, history.
While Ryland is also just getting started, hitting a big kick in the NFL can change everything. Ryland isn’t a stranger to hitting game-winning kicks (he’s got several under his belt from his college days), but that opportunity at redemption certainly means something to him.
Ryland admitted as much after the game, saying it’s something he visualizes every day so that he’s mentally ready when it happens so he feels like he’s “been there before.”
Clearly, that final sequence worked out in his favor. And hopefully, he can finally start building on it.
Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports)
6) Sunday was a nice showing from New England’s receivers, who went into this game thin considering they were without both JuJu Smith-Schuster and Hunter Henry, who were both inactive.
Still, if it bothered Zappe, that wasn’t apparent. He hit seven different receivers on Sunday, including Demario Douglas, who led all receivers with 5 catches for 74 yards.
However, what was most impressive was the fact that Parker continues to be productive with Zappe at quarterback. The veteran wideout had another big afternoon after hauling in four passes for 65 yards, including his 30 yard grab that helped set up Zappe’s touchdown to Gesicki.
Zappe’s also gotten more out of Jalen Reagor. Reagor caught two passes for 33-yards on Sunday, including a big play early in the game that helped Zappe bounce back from a 10-yard sack.
That play was notable because that sack could have killed the drive. Instead, Zappe came right back after that play and fired a 28-yard throw up the left sideline to Reagor, with Zappe zipping the football in there ahead of the defender as Reagor then broke upfield and took off before getting them down to the Broncos’ 33-yard line.
That play led to Ryland’s 33-yard field goal, which got them on the board at the time trailing 7-3.
Overall, it’s clear that he’s built chemistry with these guys and they’re more cohesive now than they’ve been all season. While Zappe may not have the biggest arm or have all the physical traits that people may necessarily look for, he’s quietly starting to settle into this offense and Sunday proved that he’s able to put together some plays with the game on the line.
Some may not be pleased with the outcome due to the negative effect it may have on their draft standing, but it also doesn’t change the fact that if Zappe can somehow turn into a player they can run with in the interim, it may give them the freedom to address other key areas of need in the upcoming draft, most notably at offensive tackle and even receiver, while also allowing them to also restock the quarterback room around him and build competition.
From there, it will obviously be up to him to keep his job. However, so far, he’s started to show more than enough where fans might start feeling better about seeing him under center next season.
And who knows, with some additional weapons and talent, it’s possible his ceiling could ultimately even be a little higher than many thought.
How that story ultimately plays out is up to him, but the chapter he just wrote on Sunday certainly should have more people believing it could potentially be possible.
For now, Zappe said he’ll enjoy this one before they start getting ready for Buffalo.
“Oh man, I’m on cloud nine, if that’s even a thing,” said Zappe after the game. “I’m going to enjoy these next few days, Christmas, everything, and then get right back at it.”
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