The New England Patriots played their hardest but ultimately could not pull out a victory against the Green Bay Packers on Sunday, losing 27-24 on a last-second overtime field goal in front of an enthusiastic crowd at Lambeau Field.
The biggest takeaway from the game? On any given Sunday, this Patriots team can scrape out a victory, despite whatever circumstances may be stacking the deck against them.
The Patriots came into the game already without starting quarterback Mac Jones, who reportedly suffered a high ankle sprain in last weekend’s loss to the Baltimore Ravens. Veteran backup Brian Hoyer started Sunday’s game against the Packers but was knocked out of the matchup late in the first quarter with a head injury, forcing rookie signal caller Bailey Zappe into his first career NFL appearance.
Zappe played admirably, making sure that he didn’t lose New England the game with any poor play. The matchup ultimately came down to a deflated Patriots defense trying to stop Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers in overtime. In the end, the legendary QB was the victor.
Here are five takeaways from Sunday’s game.
1
Bailey Zappe, not bad
The rookie fourth-round draft pick was thrust into the game late in the first quarter after Hoyer exited with a head injury. While the Patriots certainly didn’t give him the full playbook to work with, Zappe did show that he can make safe decisions and find the open receiver even against a strong secondary.
Zappe went 10-of-15 passing for 99 yards and a touchdown (the first passing TD from a rookie quarterback this season), though he also made some rookie mistakes. Most notably, he held onto the ball too long on occasions, taking three sacks for 24 yards lost while also losing a fumble.
Bailey Zappe takes a 9-yard sack. pic.twitter.com/FASY6goFjL
— Henry McKenna (@McKennAnalysis) October 2, 2022
Hopefully, Jones can come back in the next few weeks and re-take his starting position. However, if Jones is out long-term, Zappe seems like he could be a solid starting option for the Patriots over the next few weeks, as long as he keeps playing conservative football.
2
These penalties, really?
The Patriots have been very un-Patriot-like in two key facets to start this season: giveaways and penalties. While the team limited themselves in the giveaway department with only one turnover (a strip sack of Zappe) during the game, they upheld their propensity for bad penalties.
On the drive at the end of the third quarter that ended in a touchdown pass to wide receiver DeVante Parker, the Patriots were called for a delay of game penalty and should have been called for a second one on the touchdown, but somehow the officials missed the play clock hitting zero.
Great touchdown drive by the Patriots, but that is just an egregious miss by the officials. The play clock was well past 0. Not even close.
— Ben Volin (@BenVolin) October 2, 2022
Late in the game, cornerback Myles Bryant was called for a pass interference on a crucial third down for the Packers. Had the Patriots made that stop, they would have had more time to drive down the field and try to win the game before the end of regulation, but Bryant’s miscue gave Green Bay a fresh set of downs and allowed them to take more time off the clock.
However, the real culprit of bad penalties in this game was offensive tackle Isaiah Wynn. On one drive, Wynn committed a penalty on three consecutive plays.
He was then rotated out of the offensive line with reserve tackle (and longtime Patriots stalwart) Marcus Cannon later in the game.
Wynn gets the hat trick. Sack, false start and holding penalty on consecutive plays
— Ben Volin (@BenVolin) October 2, 2022
The Patriots have done rotational play on the OL, so it's not 100% that Isaiah Wynn has been benched.
We'll see if Cannon finishes the game — or if Wynn comes back. https://t.co/YQFbTVMnXL
— Henry McKenna (@McKennAnalysis) October 2, 2022
It’ll be interesting to see if Cannon takes Wynn’s spot at right tackle in further weeks, but as of right now, Wynn could be on the hot seat with these penalties and his poor play.
3
Jack Jones is a stud, and may already be a starter
Coming into the season, one of the biggest flaws in New England’s defense seemed to be at cornerback. After the team let J.C. Jackson walk in free agency, they didn’t sign another big-name free agent, but rather drafted two corners in the 2022 NFL draft to try and replace the void that Jackson left.
While third-round slot cornerback Marcus Jones has largely only seen the playing field at punt and kick returner this season (though has looked great in those positions), fourth-round outside cornerback Jack Jones has been seeing significant time on the defensive front.
With outside cornerback Jalen Mills out for Sunday’s game, Jack Jones was given the start at the position and did not disappoint, racking up seven total tackles, one pass defended, and a pick-six throughout the contest.
Jones visibly still made some rookie mistakes (such as trying to strip the ball from players instead of going for the tackle on multiple occasions), but overall looked very good in Mills’ stead. While he may not get the role as a starting outside cornerback yet on this talented Patriots defense, Jones certainly seems as if he already has the ability to play well at the position.
4
Defense on the perimeter, where are you?
The Patriots invested in more athletic linebackers for their defense this offseason, hoping to give themselves a greater ability to defend both the pass and the run equally. One would have thought that those investments would have allowed them to defend the outside runs that the Packers like to use so much in their offense.
That thought would have been wrong.
Green Bay’s running backs repeatedly slashed and gashed the Patriots on the perimeter all game long, with running back Aaron Jones amassing 110 yards on 16 carries and fellow back AJ Dillon racking up 73 yards on 17 carries.
This is the second consecutive week that New England’s defense has looked unable to defend the run. With a matchup with the Detroit Lions next week, a team whose offense thrives through their running back, the Patriots will need to figure out how to clean up these mistakes if they want to bounce back from their second consecutive loss.
5
Patriots' offensive line remains very good
With starting QB Mac Jones out for the game, it was easy to tell that the Patriots were going to rely more on their running game for the bulk of the offensive production. The Packers certainly knew this as well, but still didn’t seem to have much of an answer for New England’s two running backs.
Damien Harris and Rhamondre Stevenson combined for 32 carries for 152 rushing yards and a touchdown, while Stevenson also had four catches for 23 yards in the passing game.
While the talent of Harris and Stevenson surely can’t be understated, New England’s offensive line was making their days easy by creating big holes for them to run through.
The Patriots’ offensive line has taken some heat so far this season for their pass-blocking miscommunications. However, their ability to control the run game certainly played a massive role in Sunday’s game being close, and it seems like that facet of the game could be a strength for them throughout the season.
