Seven Patriots Takeaways From Bailey Zappe’s First 2023 Start

FOXBORO, Mass. — The Patriots sank further into the NFL cellar Sunday, losing 6-0 to the Los Angeles Chargers at Gillette Stadium.

Here are seven takeaways on the humbling home loss, which dropped New England to 2-10 on the season:

1. This loss helped the Patriots
All the Patriots have to look forward to at this point is a high pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, and Sunday’s results bumped them up a spot. Their loss, coupled with the Arizona Cardinals’ upset of the Pittsburgh Steelers, pushed the Patriots to No. 2 in the draft order. They’re just one game ahead of the last-place, 1-11 Carolina Panthers, whose pick belongs to the Chicago Bears.

A top-two pick is especially important in a draft like this that features two premier quarterback prospects in USC’s Caleb Williams and North Carolina’s Drake Maye, who are the favorites to go 1-2. Ohio State wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. also could sneak into one of those spots once the pre-draft process gets rolling.

We’ll see if the Patriots can hold that position over the final five weeks. Their remaining games: at Pittsburgh, home against Kansas City, at Denver, at Buffalo and home against the New York Jets.

2. The scene was grim
Ticket demand for this game was staggeringly low, with lower-bowl seats going for as little as $5 on the secondary market shortly before kickoff. The crowd that did show up had to be New England’s smallest in decades (2020 COVID season notwithstanding).

And who could blame anyone who checked the standings, checked the forecast and then decided they were better off spending Sunday on their couch? This was a bad-weather game (mid-40s and heavy rain throughout) featuring two thoroughly disappointing teams.

The reward for fans who braved the elements was getting to watch the Patriots and Chargers combine for more than twice as many punts (15) as points (six) in the lowest-scoring NFL game since 2018. Neither team ran a single play inside the red zone. The only scoring came off the foot of Cameron Dicker, whose two second-quarter field goals were enough to hand New England its 10th loss of the season.

3. Evaluating Bailey Zappe
After back-to-back Mac Jones benchings, Bill Belichick finally pulled the plug on his starting quarterback and gave Zappe the nod instead. The result? More of the same offensive ineptitude.

There were things to like about Zappe’s performance, namely his ball security (no turnovers; Jones had at least one in each of the team’s first nine losses) and mobility in and around the pocket. He scrambled for a first down on fourth-and-3 and stepped up to avoid the rush and hit Hunter Henry for a third-down conversion.

Zappe also seemed to settle in after an erratic first half, hooking up with wide receiver DeVante Parker for completions of 21, 27 and 14 yards after halftime. The Patriots gained at least one first down on all four of their second-half possessions after going three-and-out four times in the opening half.

But the 2022 fourth-round draft pick couldn’t lift a shorthanded offense that now ranks dead last in the NFL in scoring (12.3 points per game). With Demario Douglas (concussion) inactive and Rhamondre Stevenson (ankle) knocked out in the first quarter, no Patriots drive crossed the Chargers’ 30-yard line, and they were shut out at home for the second time this season.

Zappe’s final line: 13 of 25, 141 yards, five sacks.

Belichick, who said Zappe “deserved” to start this game over the struggling Jones, wouldn’t announce a starter for Thursday night’s Week 14 matchup in Pittsburgh. But our guess is Zappe gets another shot on a short week.

“I thought he did some good things,” the Patriots head coach said Monday on WEEI’s “The Greg Hill Show.” “Obviously, we didn’t produce any points offensively, so that wasn’t good. But that wasn’t just him. It’s everybody. But no turnovers at the quarterback position, and there were some positive plays. We just need to make more of them.”

The Patriots elevated rookie quarterback/receiver Malik Cunningham from the practice squad for Sunday’s game and told him to stay ready, but they wound up not using him. Cunningham and Jones both watched the entire game from the sideline in uniform.

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4. This offense is historically bad
You have to feel for this New England defense. The Patriots on Sunday became the first team since the 1938 Chicago Cardinals to allow 10 points or fewer in three straight games and lose all three. They held Justin Herbert, Austin Ekeler and the Chargers’ talented offense to two field goals, 13 first downs and 29 rushing yards (1.2 per carry).

Belichick pointed out that the Patriots did not force any turnovers, breaking a streak of six straight games with at least one, and that the offense had poor field position all day, starting every drive inside its own 25 and seven inside its own 15.

But come on. This is the NFL. If you only let up six points, you should win. Period. Especially when you’re facing a team that came in ranked dead last in the NFL in total defense.

The Patriots have scored more than 20 points just once this season and fewer than 10 five times. They’re on pace to be the lowest-scoring NFL team since the 2011 St. Louis Rams, who averaged 12.1 per game with Josh McDaniels as their offensive coordinator.

Things could get even uglier against the Steelers if Douglas can’t clear concussion protocol and early reports on Stevenson’s injury prove accurate. X-rays on the running back’s ankle reportedly came back negative, but he’s expected to miss time.

Stevenson is arguably the Patriots’ best offensive player and ran well Sunday before his injury. Add him to the list of injured New England standouts that also features Matthew Judon, Christian Gonzalez, Kendrick Bourne and Marcus Jones.

5. Tyquan Thornton made a play — and missed an opportunity
Thornton more than doubled his season total of yards from scrimmage on one play Sunday, racing through the Chargers’ defense for a 39-yard gain off an end around. The second-year wideout entered the game with just 37 total yards across his first four 2023 appearances.

That, however, was Thornton’s lone highlight. He played a season-high 51 snaps with Douglas and Kayshon Boutte (shoulder/illness) both inactive but finished without a catch.

Zappe targeted his fellow 2022 draftee just once: a well-placed deep ball that slipped through Thornton’s hands. The QB said he threw the pass too far, but Thornton admitted he should have caught it.

“It’s definitely frustrating, man,” he said. “I wish I could get that one back, just to make that play for our offense. I feel like we really needed that.”

Thornton, who opened the season on injured reserve, has five catches on 13 targets for 34 yards and just one first down. He’s topped 40 receiving yards once in his young career (60 in Week 17 last season) and tallied one or zero receptions in 12 of his 18 NFL games to date. Flashes like his big-play carry have been far too infrequent for the second-round pick.

6. Trent Brown still was on a pitch count
The Patriots’ largest offensive lineman started Sunday for the first time since Week 8, but he didn’t see a full workload. Brown, who was listed as questionable for the game with ankle and chest injuries, rotated with Conor McDermott at left tackle, playing 43 snaps while McDermott logged 22.

Both players had issues in pass protection, as did right tackle Mike Onwenu. All three were beaten for at least one sack as the Chargers dropped Zappe five times. LA’s sacks all came after halftime, and Zappe was sacked on back-to-back plays twice. Seven-time Pro Bowler Khalil Mack was especially disruptive with a pair of sacks and a forced fumble.

7. Contrasting roles for two Day 2 picks
Second-round edge rusher Keion White saw the largest snap rate of his young career, playing 87% of New England’s defensive snaps while Deatrich Wise sat out with an illness. Third-round safety/linebacker Marte Mapu, meanwhile, saw just three snaps on defense and none after the opening minute of the second quarter.

That continued a recent trend for the Sacramento State product. Mapu’s snap rate topped 40% in three of the Patriots’ first five games, but he logged just seven total defensive snaps over the last three contests, plus another 26 on special teams.

Belichick explained this by saying the team does not want to take starters Jabrill Peppers and Kyle Dugger off the field just to get a rookie some playing time. Mapu’s occasional struggles in coverage haven’t helped his cause.

“I think he’s a good player, will be a good player,” Belichick said Monday morning. “But he’s still young and inexperienced, and right now, the guys who are ahead of him are just ahead of him.”