Zappe’s Emergence is Certainly Changing Patriots’ QB Conversation
(PHOTO: Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports) 🕑 Read Time: 5 minutes
Posted Under: Patriots Commentary
(PHOTO: Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports) 🕑 Read Time: 5 minutes
New England Patriots > Patriots Blog
(PHOTO: Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports) With just two games left to go and not much left to play for, New England Patriots quarterback Bailey Zappe is quietly doing something that could see the team have to make some interesting decisions this offseason.
He’s getting better. And it’s changed some things not only at the quarterback position, but with how the club may now approach the offseason.
Despite the loss of Kendrick Bourne, JuJu Smith-Schuster being banged up, and questions surrounding some of the other skill positions, it’s been a non-issue for Zappe. He’s approached each start simply taking what’s come his way, and the results have been impressive.
The second-year quarterback has completed 80-of-117 (68.4%) for 817-yards along with 6 touchdowns and just 2 interceptions through four starts. He’s strung together some solid outings now that he’s finally had his opportunity, which has definitely changed the outlook on things over this final month of the 2023 season.
More importantly, Zappe has continued improving as each week has gone on.
After completing just 52% of his throws in the rain against the Chargers, he went out and completed 67.9% of his throws against Pittsburgh, 74.2% against Kansas City, and 75.8% against Denver.
He’s also found a way to be a better second-half performer, having completed just 19-of-32 (59.4%) for 185 yards and two interceptions over the final two quarters during the previous three games before Sunday’s game in Denver.
After completing 10-of-13 (76.9%) for 92 yards heading into the locker room at halftime against the Broncos, Zappe came out and finished things off by completing 15-of-20 (75%) for 164 yards and 2 touchdowns in the second half, including engineering one final solid possession that set up Chad Ryland’s eventual 56-yard game-winning kick.
Every week, he’s preached about improvement and the next week, the results have been slightly better. That improvement has even come despite the fact they’ve battled injuries in each of his starts, which has changed who has been out there on a weekly basis.
“We’ve done a great job with the next man up mentality. A lot of guys have stepped up,” said Zappe on Wednesday. “They’ve done a phenomenal job. They’ve come in and they’ve understood the game plan. They’ve ran great routes. They’ve caught the ball. They’ve made plays. That’s really the only thing you can ask for.”
Meanwhile, the lack of improvement was an area of frustration with Mac Jones. After each contest, Jones would acknowledge his missteps and discuss things that ensuing week where he needed to improve. However, on Sundays, we didn’t see it.
With Zappe, it’s been a different story. A lot of those little things continue to be corrected, and it’s played a big role in their growth these last few weeks.
On the field, it’s clear that he’s already won over his teammates. Ezekiel Elliott praised Zappe’s command of the offense following Sunday’s win, which has gotten everyone believing they can get it done.
“Commanding the attention of the huddle,” said Elliott after Sunday’s game 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.”
Players also seem to be finding ways to make a play in big situations, with guys who weren’t having much success suddenly starting to produce.
PHOTO: Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports
The numbers are striking. DeVante Parker had just five receptions on nine targets for 53 yards on the season with Jones under center, averaging 10.6 yards per reception. He’s already matched that reception total with Zappe over the last four games, catching 5 passes on 8 targets (62.5%) for 119 yards, which is an average of 23.8 yards per grab. Demario Douglas also saw an increase in his yards per reception total, going from 11.8 under Jones to 17.8 with Zappe.
But the biggest statistic that has been notable as of late has been down in the red area. Through Jones’ entire stretch, Jones completed 18-of-27 (66.7%) for 133 yards along with eight touchdowns and one interception down in the red zone, with his red zone pick obviously coming in Germany against Indianapolis in a game they really needed.
That turnover turned out to be his undoing, and he lasted just one half against the Giants before the reigns were handed over to Zappe.
Since then, Zappe has already gone a perfect 7-of-7 for five touchdowns in scoring territory over these last four games, including 3-of-3 for two touchdowns Sunday night in Denver.
Every week, it’s been about improvement, and every Sunday, Zappe continues to take steps forward.
He told reporters on Wednesday that the hope would be to ride some of this momentum in Sunday’s game in Buffalo, which he knows won’t be easy. But the goal is to just continue trying to fix some of his mistakes and hopefully put together another strong outing.
“Yeah, of course, you would love to ride that momentum. I mean, we’re playing a great Bills team and they’ve been rolling the last three weeks,” said Zappe. “So, it’s really just going to come down to us executing what we’re trying to do as an offense.”
“And then some of the things that looking back versus the Broncos, there’s a few misreads that I had. I had Pharaoh [Brown] on one route that I missed him on, just little things like that can affect the game. So, just trying to dial that in and get ready for practice today and tomorrow and Friday and try to fix some of those things.”
Actions certainly speak louder than words and so far, Zappe’s been backing them up each week. While the club’s draft position has been negatively affected by the fact they’ve added two victories in these last three weeks, the fact they may head into this offseason with some semblance of stability at quarterback is significant.
If Zappe can prove he can handle the load and take them into 2024 as somebody who can find ways to win, even if it may not come in impressive fashion due to his own limitations, that may be enough. There are no style points in the NFL and execution can often trump all else, especially considering how good New England’s defense has been.
Given their various other needs on offense, his emergence could be an unforeseen luxury. It could allow them to trade down and garner additional picks, giving them the ability to grab a tackle and potentially get some additional help on the offensive side of the ball.
(PHOTO: Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports)
That’s clearly an area of need, despite the talent that’s expected to be there at the top of the draft at quarterback. However, Zappe is quietly exhibiting another key trait that is suddenly adding to his value and that’s his poise and demeanor in the pocket in big moments.
We’ve seen plenty of first-round talent at quarterback come into the league and either turn it over, or freeze in key moments. Needless to say all the physical tools in the world mean nothing if you can’t come up big when your team needs it.
Zappe has shown the willingness to play within himself and not try and do too much. We’ve already seen him take what he’s given rather than force the ball downfield, which has kept him from putting the ball in harm’s way. It’s also why we’ve seen such a dramatic reduction in turnovers.
Unlike Jones, Zappe hasn’t been afraid to just throw it out of bounds and live to fight another down. At the same time, he’s also not afraid to take his shots, having already come up with some solid throws in several “gotta have it” moments.
Those are intangibles that will always trump arm talent and physical ability. The fact that Zappe is quietly emerging with those certainly changes things. It may allow them to be more patient, perhaps instead giving them a chance to see what they have in newly-acquired Nathan Rourke, while also taking someone in the second round, and even adding a veteran to their QB room.
Until then, it’s all about seeing whether or not we’ll see Zappe continue to grow over these final two games.
Considering all the questions that were there a month ago, what we’ve seen on the field has certainly changed the conversation. That in and of itself should have fans feeling like whatever improvement we might see from this team may actually not be as far away as it once seemed.
After what we’ve seen transpire this season, it’s now at least possible that if Zappe’s under center in 2024, their chances of competing next season could potentially be better than people might think.
He may not be a flashy player, but after all, the end result will always be the final score each week. For now, if he can maintain this trajectory and the wins follow, including a big one Sunday in Buffalo, it will be interesting to see if his underdog story continues beyond 2023.
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