Might Pats’ Bailey Zappe produce QB debate with Mac Jones?

By Henry McKenna

FOX Sports AFC East Writer

There was a lot of talk about the Patriots’ defense shutting down the Lions’ top-scoring offense Sunday. And that’s warranted. 

But maybe we lost sight of the truth Detroit likewise has the worst scoring defense. The Lions haveactually permitted 34 points per videogame after 5 weeks. Their passing defense is seventh-worst in the NFL with 261 backyards enabled per videogame.

Those numbers are mostimportantly essential as we come to comprehend Bailey Zappe’s efficiency. 

New England set up the young quarterback to besuccessful, so he looked not like what he is (a novice fourth-round draft choice) however rather like a game-managing veteran. Zappe endedup 17-for-21 (81%) for 188 lawns, one goal and one interception with no sacks and no fumbles. His only interception was due to a drop by Nelson Agholor. 

On the entire, I’d rating it a squeaky tidy videogame for Zappe.

“Bailey made a lot of excellent choices, was precise with the ball,” Patriots coach Bill Belichick stated. “Thought he revealed some grace there at some pressure scenarios where he got out of it and discovered an open receiver, made excellent choices.”  

So what’s next for New England at quarterback?

When Mac Jones gets healthy, he will begin. I’m about 99% specific of that. That one portion point of unpredictability comes back to this quote from Belichick after Jones’ three-interception videogame when he hurt his ankle versus the Ravens.

“Obviously, the turnovers hurt us,” Belichick stated a coupleof weeks earlier.

As benign as it sounds, he stated it twotimes. He didn’t chalk up his group’s 37-26 loss to Baltimore to turnovers alone — however he came quite close. 

Jones has 2 goal passes to his 5 interceptions this season. So if Zappe is playing tidy football and Jones gets careless in the coming weeks, then possibly we see a modification at quarterback. 

Maybe.

But that would be down the line. For now, Jones will return when he has recuperated from his high ankle sprain. He won’t lose the title of beginning quarterback.

However, Zappe has opened the door for himself if Jones doesn’t tidy up his turnover problems.

If you believe I’m insane, thinkabout what Zappe’s coach at Western Kentucky informed me after the draft.

“He is absolutely every single day attempting to take another guy’s task — no matter who that man is in front of him,” Tyson Helton stated. “I think it’s amazing that he has an chance to state, ‘OK, here’s an developed starter in Mac Jones, who’s a really, really great gamer.’ I appreciate him as well. I believe he’ll play for a long time and be really effective. 

“[But] there’s no concern in my mind that from Day 1, [Zappe is] going to push whoever is in front of him.”

Is it Zappening? We’ll see.

Prior to signingupwith FOX Sports as the AFC East pressreporter, Henry McKenna invested 7 years covering the Patriots for USA TODAY Sports Media Group and Boston Globe Media. Follow him on Twitter at @McKennAnalysis.