Maybe Bailey Zappe can be an NFL QB and other leftover Patriots thoughts

BOSTON -- How you felt coming out of that game probably depends on how you felt going in. Me? I didn't think they had it in 'em. 

By "it" I mean a thorough, legitimate, 60-minute (and more!) showing where the Patriots had a real, sincere chance of winning the football game. It's not that Green Bay is a juggernaut, and it's not that New England is a pushover. It just looked and felt like a bad spot for Bill Belichick's football team, for a variety of reasons.

And even if you had positive hopes going in, you have to be honest of those expectations after Brian Hoyer departed just minutes into the game.

So yeah, they lost. Yeah, they could have taken a shot through the air after taking over near midfield in overtime, needing a field goal to win. Yeah, their defense didn't look too hot on Green Bay's game-winning drive. And yeah, most importantly, they took an L to drop to 1-3 on the season and last place in the AFC East. That's why people detest the idea of a moral victory.

But here's the deal. You can't deny that the Patriots outperformed even the most optimistic forecasts on Sunday. And now with Detroit (1-3), Cleveland (2-2), Chicago (2-2), the Jets (2-2), and Indianapolis (1-2-1) on the schedule in the coming month, the Patriots are equipped with the knowledge that they are more than capable of stacking up some wins and getting this season back on track.

That doesn't mean they're heading toward Glendale in February. But they're heading toward something decent.

Now, having said that ... the standards have certainly shifted around here. That is true.

Leftover thoughts from the Patriots' 27-24 overtime loss to the Packers. Coming right up.

--So, you get the ball, on the road, after forcing Aaron Rodgers into a three-and-out, and your rookie punt returner sets you up at your 49-yard line. And you don't win the game. How? Let's explore. 

First-and-10: With Marcus Cannon in as an extra tackle, and with Lil'Jordan Humphrey in as a don't-call-me-a-tight end-tight end, and with just one receiver split out wide, the Patriots told the Packers they were going to run the football. Despite that, Damien Harris ran for five yards up the gut, pushing through a sea of bodies while running behind Mike Onwenu.

Second-and-5: Perhaps encouraged by that ability to run despite the defense knowing what's coming -- like a second cousin of the Monday night in Buffalo last year -- the Patriots lined up in the same formation. This time they ran an outside zone to the left side, but Preston Smith slipped between Cole Strange and Trent Brown to disrupt the play in the backfield, forcing Harris to cut back toward the line, where two backside defenders came crashing down. David Andrews ended up blocking Strange in the back. Nobody knew which way was up. It was a mess. No gain.  

Third-and-5: With Kendrick Bourne in motion, the Patriots sent four guys out on routes. Hunter Henry flashed open for a millisecond, but Bailey Zappe didn't see it, as he was busy scrambling for more time in the pocket. Bourne said he was held (he was), but the play didn't fool the Packers at all. A lot of the second-guessing involves the Patriots calling this drive too conservatively ... but maybe they should have run it up the gut again to either move the sticks or set up a fourth-and-short? (Zappe had a clean pocket here but spun out and ran himself into pressure. But, well, he had never been given a uniform on a Sunday until this week. This is to be expected.)

From there, Allen Lazard cut his route short, sending Jack Jones sliding to the turf, allowing Green Bay to gain 22 yards.

On third-and-1 three plays later, Randall Cobb just beat Myles Bryant on a shallow crossing route.

On the next play, Aaron Rodgers noticed that rookie corner Jack Jones was giving a massive cushion to Romeo Doubs, so Rodgers -- who is not a rookie -- took the free money for a gain of eight.

Ouch. 

On the next play ... Rodgers again saw Doubs with a 10-yard cushion, this time with Jonathan Jones in off coverage. Even though it was a running play, Rodgers knows how to steer the ship. He easily connected with Doubs for eight yards, and the game was all but over.

That's ... a rough way to lose the game. With Lazard and Cobbs winning one-on-one battles, you can live with it. But when soft coverage gives up 17 yards to lose the game, that is rough.

"That was not a missed assignment. That was Rodgers just taking advantage of a little bit of space out there instead of handing the ball off," Belichick said after the loss. "That's part of his read. As usual, he almost always does the right thing, and he made a good play."

It's obviously difficult to defend against Aaron Rodgers and the two-headed rushing attack of Aaron Jones and A.J. Dillon. But that huge cushion when yardage was at a premium has to feel particularly painful for the Belichicks Bill and Steve.

--We all spent the whole summer wondering how the Patriots' offense would be this season. Maybe it's unfair to evaluate after a game with Hoyer/Zappe at quarterback, but through four games, the Patriots rank 18th in the NFL in yards and 24th in points scored. 

The numbers are sure to go up this week -- right?! -- even if Zappe is at QB. The Lions rank dead last in defense, both in yardage and points. They are committed to only playing track meets every week, which should help the Patriots have a good afternoon next weekend.

--The lack of playing time for Kendrick Bourne doesn't fully explain the Patriots' offensive status, but it still remains befuddling. He touched the ball three times on Sunday, and he picked up a first down each time. But he didn't see a single target or handoff after the middle of the third quarter. And he once again took the fewest snaps of all wide receivers.

--With the attention on the conservative handling of the overtime drive, how about the second quarter punt from the Packers' 46 on fourth-and-1? That was an opportunity to play some old-school football at Lambeau. Run it up the gut. Move the chains.

It ended up working out, as they'd force a Green Bay punt and get a 29-yard Marcus Jones return to set them up in almost the same spot. But it's important to not just "what if?" the overtime. There was a whole game played before it.

Zappe also wouldn't have minded getting this called a penalty on a third down, I'm sure.

--Jack Jones became just the fourth player to ever record a pick-six against Aaron Rodgers. Perhaps you're curious who else has done it. I sure was. Here goes, per ESPN:

Tampa Bay's Tanard Jackson in 2009, William Jackson of Cincinnati in 2017, and Tampa Bay's Jamel Dean in 2020.

So, the commonality is that you have to have a J name if you want a pick-six against Rodgers. Other than that, a bit random.

Rodgers also threw just one interception at home last season, and two at home the year before that. You pick him off at Lambeau, you keep the ball.

--If I'm a Packers fan, I am very concerned about Matt LaFleur. Have you ever seen a more foolish challenge? The man simply did not catch the football, yet LaFleur threw his challenge flag because ... he wished that the ball had been caught.

Between that, the over-the-top celebration on the Packers' game-tying touchdown, and the embarrassing college coach move of pumping up the crowd before second and third downs on defense, LaFleur looked clownish on Sunday. Got the win, against Bill Belichick, which is always something. But he didn't inspire confidence.

Belichick, meanwhile, showed off his wheels at age 70:

Not bad.

--Belichick was pretty spicy all day. The officiating crew -- like LaFleur -- didn't inspire any confidence, so it's easy to understand why. I also wonder if Belichick saw this as an opportunity to be his Mona Lisa. A road win, with a third-string rookie QB, in GREEN BAY of all places, against a Hall of Fame quarterback? That'd be juicy. Maybe the added stakes led to the heightened emotions. Or maybe the officials were just that bad.

--While some of Belichick's praise of Rodgers has been a bit much this week, this one pass was a real LOL moment:

Not much you can do about that one.

--A lot has been made about Trent Brown this year. Cryptic tweets, a position change, it's led to speculation about how invested he is in the team and this year. He certainly looked invested on Sunday, at one point flexing after a run that went to his side.

Brown also motioned over to his sideline at one point, imploring the play calls to continue going his way.

A fully invested Trent Brown is a scary thing, and a difficult one to stop.

--This is fun football:

This was a good one, too. (I do not believe it was a trip, and R.I.P. to T.J. Lang's TV.)

Those plays would have gotten more spotlight if, you know, the Patriots won the game. Alas.

--Good. God.

PFF grades obviously aren't perfect, or scientific. But goodness gracious. What a nightmare of Isaiah Wynn on Sunday.

--This is sure to be CONTROVERSIAL, but what's with the lack of grass stains on the Patriots' white jerseys? I'm not a scientist so I don't understand this hybrid grass situation, but look at these nearly pristine jerseys:

I demand a congressional investigation.

Look at how cool Zach Wilson got to look in Pittsburgh!

OK, well, his jersey looked cool anyway. And granted, the Steelers' turf already looks like it's in mid-December form, so good luck to anyone playing there in the coming months. But man. Those guys look cool!

If we're going to have games on real grass, we've got to have grass stains. Why do I care about this? I don't know. But it IS important.

--I've been wondering about Bailey Zappe all year: How can a guy set single-season NCAA records in passing yards and touchdowns and yet not be considered a real NFL quarterback prospect? I understand there are various factors at play, and the level of competition for the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers is a large one. But 6,000 yards is 6,000 yards. And 62 touchdowns is 62 touchdowns. He didn't appear to be zipping the ball over the field on Sunday, no, but who knows? Maybe he can be a legitimate quarterback in the league. He certainly won't find himself overwhelmed by many moments if he handled this day the way he did.

Because -- and this ought to be stressed -- it's not just that Zappe hadn't played before Sunday. He hadn't even been active on game day before Sunday. He saw his jersey hanging in his locker on game day for the first time, at Lambeau, and played pretty well, all things considered. 

That's not the worst way to begin a career.

--Here's how Zappe reacted when he got the call from the Patriots, in case you missed it or forgot:

--So, as mentioned, there's a lot to feel good about from that game, even though they lost. You'd feel better if the team was 2-2, sure, but there's time to steal a win or two down the line. They did that last year at the Chargers, at home against the Titans, and in the infamous wind bowl in Buffalo.

That being said, if Dan Campbell brings his Lions into Foxboro and beats the Patriots, then we're going to have to have a different discussion. Things are always tenuous in the NFL like that.

But for now, that shouldn't be a fear. If the Patriots play like they did on Sunday, they'll be winners more than losers.

You can email Michael Hurley or find him on Twitter @michaelFhurley.

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