The New England Patriots had everything in play for a potential turnaround game against the Los Angeles Chargers.
Mac Jones, who had handicapped the team with numerous turnovers, was watching from the sidelines, while Bailey Zappe finally got his chance to start and play for an entire game. The Patriots were facing a Chargers team with no Joey Bosa and the worst passing defense in the NFL.
There was no pressure or high expectations with the team sitting at 2-9 and pegged as underdogs in their home building. And the defense was playing lights out, as it has for most of the season, by limiting the previous two opponents to only 10 points.
Heaven itself opened and delivered a rainy, messy football game to help limit quarterback Justin Herbert and the Chargers’ potent offensive attack to give the Patriots a chance to compete on even ground.
None of it was enough for the Patriots, who crashed and burned with Bailey Zappe at the wheel for their second shutout loss at Gillette Stadium this season.
Here are some leftover notes from Sunday’s game:
1
Where was Malik Cunningham?
Yes, Malik Cunningham was on the sidelines and dressed for action, after being elevated to the main roster on Saturday. But he stood there for all 48 minutes of game action in a jersey that looked like it was fresh from the cleaners.
There wasn’t a speckle of dust in sight for the backup quarterback that was expected to be involved in package plays in the game. The only package Cunningham received was a package of questions from reporters wondering why he wasn’t on the field against the Patriots.
“We had times where we got things going. We wanted to try to stay with what we were doing,” Belichick said after the game, via NESN’s Zack Cox.
If not scoring any points is something Belichick wants to stick with for this football team, then the Patriots have even bigger problems for the next five games left in the season.
The offense couldn’t finish a single drive with points with Bailey Zappe under center. All of the blame shouldn’t be on the quarterback, but given the Patriots’ unique situation—and by unique, I mean being one of the worst teams in the NFL—it would have made sense to at least get Cunningham involved in some way, instead of elevating him and completely leaving him out.
2
The offense is still bad, but it did look better under Zappe
Bailey Zappe isn’t a more talented quarterback than Mac Jones.
The good news is there’s more than just talent taken into account when evaluating the quarterback position. Zappe was certainly the more composed player under center of the two quarterbacks. He operated with more efficiency and even took shots downfield that didn’t end up in the hands of the opposing defense.
You can tell the bar has been set impossibly low when I’m talking up the backup after he went 13-of-25 passing for 141 yards and no touchdowns against the worst passing defense in the league. There’s no limboing under this dumpster fire offense.
But at the very least, Zappe was a far less disaster than Jones has been in previous weeks. That alone should earn him another opportunity to start on Thursday night against the Pittsburgh Steelers.
3
DeVante Parker finally gets unlocked
Staying on the subject of Bailey Zappe, the second-year quarterback has a clear connection with wide receiver DeVante Parker, who suddenly came alive in Sunday’s game against the Chargers.
Parker finished the game with four receptions for 64 yards, which coincidentally enough is the same number of receptions and yards he had in Zappe’s last start under center against the Cleveland Browns last season.
The veteran wide receiver was clearly more involved with the offense than he’s been all season, and it came at a much-needed time with Demario Douglas sidelined with a concussion.
Zappe doesn’t seem to get rattled by what happens around him, and he can deliver a good enough 50/50 deep ball to give Parker a chance to make a play. That’s all a receiver can ask for in those situations, especially one with Parker’s skill set.
4
Another what-if season for the Patriots defense
What if the Patriots offense was halfway decent? Better yet, what if it was elite? What if they could actually move the ball consistently and put up points?
This Patriots team might actually be a Super Bowl contender.
It’s pretty crazy to see the defense continue to do so well without their two best playmakers, linebacker Matthew Judon and rookie cornerback Christian Gonzalez, on the field. Injuries haven’t slowed the unit one bit, and they continue to give the broken offense a chance to win week after week.
Sadly, the truth remains that they’d have to shut out every opponent to even have a shot at winning at this point. The offense has been historically bad this season. Per ESPN Stats & Info, they are the first team since the 1938 Chicago Cardinals to give up 10 or fewer points in three consecutive games and still go on to lose all three.
Not even the San Francisco 49ers defense could overcome this mess. It’s hard not to feel sorry for the Patriots defense, but at the same time, they’ve given reason for hope for the future, especially when Judon and Gonzalez return.
5
Patriots hold their breath after losing another big-time playmaker
Rhamondre Stevenson was the Patriots’ best offensive playmaker, and he looked to be well on his way for a big day against the Chargers, before going down with an ankle injury in the fourth quarter.
His initial x-rays came back negative, but the team expects his MRI to show an ankle sprain, which means he could miss time in the dwindling season. It’s another potential blow for a Patriots team that hasn’t been able to catch a break with injuries.
The offensive line has been banged up throughout the season, and wide receiver has been a revolving door of players coming and going. Now, the injury bug appears to be hitting the running back position.
Keep in mind, Ezekiel Elliott was questionable coming into the game with a thigh injury. It’ll be a quick turnaround for Thursday’s game against the Steelers, and things get even more concerning with the other two primary backups on the roster being Ty Montgomery and JaMycal Hasty.
The Patriots could have a real problem on their hands in keeping their ground game afloat.
