Rookies Bailey Zappe and Jack Jones Help Lead Pats Over Lions 29-0

Soon everyone in New England will be holding up a “Don’t worry, be ZAPPE” sign, especially if he keeps playing like he did on Sunday.

When Brian Hoyer Stepped in for Mac Jones I thought the season was over. But, when Bailey Zappe came in for him in Green Bay (and outplayed Aaron Rodgers) he had some flashes of “the guy”.

Detroit was different, I’m not sure if I believed in Zappe simply out of a mix of desperation and insanity or if I actually thought he could win this game. But he played damn close to perfection in the Patriots 29-0 win, besides the interception that Nelson “Melted Butter Hands” Agholor couldn’t catch and tipped right to Deshon Elliott. Other than that, there were not a lot of ‘yell at the TV moments because your quarterback is an idiot’ like we had with Mac a few times this year. 

I would be remiss if I were to talk about the offense and not mention Rhamondre Stevenson. A career-high 161 rushing yards helped pick up the Patriots' offense when the passing game stalled for a bit. Now, Damian Harris is expected to miss “a few weeks” with a Hamstring injury, and I have an abundance of confidence in Stevenson starting. Maybe even Pierre Strong Jr., a rookie from North Dakota State, could get some touches. 

As fun as it was to watch Bailey Zappe dot up the worst defense in the NFL, the real hero of the game is the defense. Jack Jones continues to show off his game with another interception, and Matt Judon, who is making a serious case for Defensive Player of the Year, added on two more sacks. 

Shutting a team out is one of the hardest things to do in sports, stopping a team on 4th down 6 straight times is even harder. The Lions could not move the ball when it mattered most, quite the surprise contrasted to the rest of their season. 

At this point, I think it is fair to say Bill Belichick owns Goff. He looked absolutely lost out there, much like in the Super Bowl a couple of years ago. 


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