Patriots praise Bailey Zappe's poise after rookie earns win in first career start

FOXBORO -- There were very few instances when Bailey Zappe looked like a rookie quarterback making his first career start on Sunday. The 24-year-old, starting in place of the injured Mac Jones and Brian Hoyer for New England, showed an incredible amount of poise throughout the Patriots' 29-0 win over the Detroit Lions at Gillette Stadium.

While Zappe was impressive with a very elementary level offense when he took over for Hoyer last week in Green Bay, he was even better after getting a full week of practice as New England's starter against the Lions. He connected on 17 of his 21 passes for for 188 yards and a touchdown on Sunday. One of those incompletions -- an interception -- wasn't even his fault as it bounced off the hands of Nelson Agholor before landing in the diving arms of DeShon Elliott.

To make up for it, Zappe made a veteran-like read on his 24-yard touchdown to Jakobi Meyers late in the third quarter, recognizing the coverage that Patriots coaches had prepared him for in practice throughout the week. After reading the defense, all he had to do was make a good throw to Meyers to put six points on the board.

With the defense smothering the Lions all day, life was much easier on Zappe. The rookie praised the entire team for the victory, and he made it a point to single out the offensive line as the MVPs of the day. Zappe was not sacked once, and even when he did feel some pressure, he had a big enough cushion to step up in the pocket and go through his reads before finding the open man or take off for a nice pickup of his. (The offensive line also opened up holes for Rhamondre Stevenson to rush for 161 yards, which always makes life easier for a quarterback.)

Zappe made it clear after the game that this win was not just about him. From the teammates that came up big on the field to coaches having everyone fully prepared for what Detroit had to offer, it was a full team victory for the Patriots on Sunday. 

"It always feels better getting a win. We played team football today," Zappe said after the win. "Defense pitched a shutout, the O-line played really well, receivers played really well. It was a team effort today and nice to get the win."

His comfort level was expected to improve considering Zappe got all the top-team snaps in practice leading up to the game. But his poise was above what anyone expected on Sunday, and his teammates took notice.

"It's tough being out there. It gets loud and people get excited but he was pretty smooth out there," Meyers said of his quarterback. "I remember my first year as a rookie I was panicking; making up words in my head. 'I could have sworn you called this' -- If you know what I mean. I thought he did a good job communicating what he was looking for, what the play was, what the count was. So shout out to Bailey."

"He did a great job. Had a lot of control, did a great job in the huddle, was poised," tight end Hunter Henry said of Zappe. "We knew that going into the game, I mean, he did a great job. He did that last week and was able to control the game really well."

"I felt comfortable on almost everything," said Zappe. "I can't really pick out one distinct thing, but I felt more comfortable with everything. I had my teammates around to help me out a lot this week and on this Sunday."  

Bill Belichick praised Zappe's decision-making and accuracy on Sunday: "He was confident out there."

The quarterback's confidence must be sky high at the moment after notching the first win of his young NFL career. He did so with his parents and girlfriend in the stands, and the nearly 66,000 fans inside Gillette chanting his name throughout the game.

All this praise is nice, but it's just an afterthought to Zappe.

"I liked the support but I was just more excited about the win, getting to win with my team," he said. "That was the focus point for this week and will be the focus point for the rest of the season."

It's unclear how much longer Zappe will get this opportunity, with Jones' high ankle sprain seemingly getting better by the week. But he's going to be ready whenever the Patriots call his number, and the team will feel confident that he can answer the call based on the poise and comfort that he's shown in his six-plus quarters as a pro quarterback.