Is there a case of “Zappe Fever” spreading across the NFL?
The Patriots rookie won his second consecutive start Sunday, completing 24-of-34 passes for 309 yards and two touchdowns. It’s not hyperbolic to say it was the best start for a Patriots quarterback since Tom Brady: Mac Jones’ best game in the pros came against the Titans in Week 12, in which he completed 23-of-32 throws for 310 yards and two touchdowns.
Those numbers are nearly identical.
Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer spoke to an AFC exec following Zappe’s second strong outing. The exec said the following:
“I think he’s as advertised. Very smart, has picked up their offense pretty quickly. He takes very good care of the ball, makes good decisions. His arm is not great, but he sort of has just enough for most throws. He gets exposed if there is tight coverage, but they do a good job scheming solid situations for him.”
That probably falls in line with how the Patriots view the fourth-round selection, who set the FBS record for single-season passing touchdowns and single-season passing yardage in his lone season at Western Kentucky.
To Bill Belichick, the passing yards are great, but he’s probably most impressed with Zappe’s interception total: zero.
As the AFC exec mentions, Zappe has seemingly learned the offense. The Patriots scored 38 points against the Browns Sunday and appeared to open up their playbook. Zappe connected for multiple deep plays down the field, including a 31-yard touchdown to Hunter Henry and 50/50 ball to DeVante Parker.
With one week until next Monday night’s matchup with the Bears, there will be plenty of time to dissect Jones and Zappe’s games.
So far, Zappe Hour has been more than solid.
