Bailey Zappe Refutes Patriots Theory After 10th Loss Of Season

The Patriots are an abject disaster, but according to one of their quarterbacks, that isn't reflected in the locker room.

There's no debate over which unit is the most responsible for New England's struggles this season. "Horrific" might be too soft of a word to describe the Patriots offense. New England's defense managed to hold the visiting Los Angeles Chargers to six (!) points Sunday, but the Patriots still suffered their fifth straight loss.

Bailey Zappe got the nod in Week 13 seemingly in hopes of giving the lifeless offense a spark. But much like Mac Jones before him, Zappe provided next to nothing and left the defense in a completely helpless position. The sophomore knows the offense needs to perform better, but he claims there isn't any bad blood coming from the other side of the ball.

"I would say that given the circumstances that we're in, there's no division in our team," Zappe told reporters, per Boston.com "Everybody comes to work every day, everybody pushes each other, defense pushes offense, offense pushes defense, and as long as we stay that we these last few games, things will go in our favor."

Other members of the Patriots offense were a bit more transparent than Zappe. Hunter Henry doesn't necessarily feel guilty about the unit's struggles, but he acknowledged the unit hasn't held up its end of the bargain. Similarly, Ezekiel Elliott noted how it's been "super frustrating" to not put up points while the defense plays at a high level.

New England will try to put forth a more balanced performance Thursday night in Pittsburgh, but that's probably not the big-picture best outcome for the organization. All eyes for the Patriots should be on the 2024 NFL Draft.