On an ugly, rainy Sunday afternoon in Foxborough, the New England Patriots took on the Los Angeles Chargers in a football game that may have set the offense back by about 50 years.
The Chargers could only muster up six points against a tough Patriots defense, but New England’s Division II-level offense – led by quarterback Bailey Zappe – couldn’t come up with a single point of their own.
The 6-0 loss was just another feather in the cap of what has been a brutally awful season for New England, a season many fans are sure to remember for a very long time, but not for the right reasons.
Here are five big takeaways from the game.
1
The defense did their jobs again, but with the same result
While New England’s offense has been receiving most of the recent media attention due to their inability to generate any sort of meaningful production, the team’s defense has been holding opponents to historically low totals.
And while the Patriots’ past three opponents have not exactly been of the NFL’s top tier – The Indianapolis Colts (4-5), the New York Giants (3-8) and the Chargers (4-7) all had records of below .500 entering their respective contests with New England – its defense has been nothing short of extraordinary.
To hold an NFL team to 10 points in a game is a great success for any defensive unit. The Patriots’ unit has now done that in three consecutive weeks, yet the team has lost all three games.
In fact, that sort of feat is record-setting in itself.
From @ESPNStatsInfo: The Patriots are the first team since the 1938 Chicago Cardinals to allow 10 points or fewer in 3 straight games and lose all 3.
— Mike Reiss (@MikeReiss) December 3, 2023
Leading the way for the team on Sunday were linebackers Jahlani Tavai and Ja’Whaun Bently, who each tallied eight total tackles. Cornerback Jonathan Jones was not too far behind, tallying six tackles of his own.
And New England’s secondary again came to play, limiting one of the NFL’s most explosive offenses to under 250 total yards. Running backs Austin Ekeler and Joshua Kelley combined for 34 yards on the day, a testament to the defensive line and linebacking corps.
This Patriots defense is so, so good…and not even near 100 percent.
— Jordy McElroy (@JordyMcElroy) December 3, 2023
The Patriots’ defense has easily held up their end of the bargain. But amidst the team’s offensive struggles, the unit has fallen by the wayside.
2
Bailey Zappe is completely fine
When third-year quarterback Mac Jones was officially (and finally) sent to the bench this week, few expected second-year backup Bailey Zappe to blossom in his newfound starting role.
And those many naysayers would be proven correct on Sunday, as Zappe threw for just 141 yards on 13 completions while taking five sacks.
But while his performance was still very underwhelming, Zappe did show flashes of chemistry with a receiving corps that has seemed out of sync with their signal-caller all season.
The main beneficiary of the change was DeVante Parker, who snagged four receptions for 64 yards, including multiple jump-balls. It was the first time since Week 2 that the 30-year-old receiver had caught more than three passes in a single game.
Additionally, Zappe showed a willingness to push the ball downfield, and made a few great passes to show for it. One of those passes came late in the third quarter, but second-year wideout Tyquan Thornton was unable to bring it in.
Tyquan Thornton can't reel in an absolutely perfect pass by Bailey Zappe pic.twitter.com/ZqpWkTK3fv
— Ben Brown 🌻 (@BenBrownPL) December 3, 2023
For now, it seems as if Jones has been relegated to bench duty. But if Zappe keeps playing similarly to how he did on Sunday, New England’s offense may become easier to watch, even if just marginally so.
3
A missing Malik
Reports earlier last week indicated that the Patriots were installing offensive packages specifically for undrafted rookie Malik Cunningham in order to properly utilize his athletic skill set.
And many were excited to hear that the quarterback/receiver had been elevated from the practice squad in preparation for Sunday’s game.
But Cunningham never saw the field against the Chargers.
As previously mentioned, it was not as if Zappe was leading New England to offensive heights throughout the contest. While the quarterback was certainly serviceable, he did not spark the team’s offense in any meaningful form.
In fact, some were calling for Cunningham to take over the reins of the position at halftime.
should roll with Malik Cunningham in the second half
— Brent Schwartz (@BrentSchwartzz) December 3, 2023
And pundits questioned why the team never ended up using the athletic youngster.
Haven't seen Malik Cunningham yet today. What are they waiting for?
— Ben Volin (@BenVolin) December 3, 2023
New England’s offense remains dead on arrival, yet Cunningham still seems to be waiting in the wings for his opportunity to come. But with quarterbacks above him crashing down the depth chart, his time may come sooner rather than later.
4
More confidence with the new QB
Nothing shows less faith in your quarterback and kicker than punting on a 4th and 1 on your opponent’s 37-yard line.
While New England’s issues with rookie kicker Chad Ryland have certainly been discussed at length, what did not get highlighted as much on Sunday was their change in faith in their signal-caller’s ability to convert the fourth down.
In a situation where in recent weeks the team likely would have punted, the Patriots were faced with a 4th-and-3 on Los Angeles’ 38-yard line early in the third quarter. And rather than attempting to coffin-corner their opponent on a punt, they went for the first down.
On the play, Zappe ended up scrambling outside the pocket and converting for the first. While the drive fizzled out a few plays later after Zappe took two sacks, the play call signified a great deal more confidence from the coaching staff in Zappe’s ability to convert on downs in comparison to Jones.
Only time will tell as to whether that more aggressive playcalling will hold up past this week. But it could be a sign that the staff sees something in Zappe that they would like to unleash. And at this point, what does the team even have to lose?
5
Continuing to move up the draft board
Coming into Sunday’s game, New England held the third overall pick in the 2024 NFL draft. With the teams ahead of them (the Chicago Bears and Arizona Cardinals) also potentially in need of quarterback help, the Patriots needed to keep moving up the board if they wanted a shot at the top-two prizes – Caleb Williams and Drake Maye.
But on Sunday, they got some help. While accruing their tenth loss of the season by failing to score a single point against the Chargers, New England watched Arizona beat the Pittsburgh Steelers – the Patriots’ Thursday Night Football opponent this week – to notch its third win of the season and move one spot up the board to the No. 3 overall pick, dropping New England to No. 2.
The Patriots now own the 2nd overall pick in the NFL Draft. Let’s go Panthers! pic.twitter.com/grlXIt6FFw
— Boston Diehards (@Boston_Diehards) December 3, 2023
Although this season has gone about as terribly as it potentially could have, the NFL draft could be the resolution to those woes. As long as the Patriots keep losing out, we can keep our attention focused on what could come about this spring.
