Much of Patriot Nation has been embroiled in a miniature QB non-controversy this week.
No one has actually declared third-round rookie Bailey Zappe the future of the franchise after watching him capably fill in over the last couple games, including the shutout victory over the Lions at Gillette Stadium in his first career NFL start.
Nor has anyone declared that Mac Jones doesn’t have a job to return to after his high ankle sprain usurped his way too many turnovers as the story of the first month of his sophomore season.
Sure Foxborough fans were chanting “Zappe!” And even the Ollie-from-Hoosiers-looking rookie passer himself had to smirk when asked about Zappe Fever taking over New England.
Sure Jones probably feels some pressure to get back to work and reclaim his spot atop the depth chart, even if Bill Belichick has refused multiple times to actually declare that last year’s No. 15 overall pick actually still has a hold on that top spot on the QB depth chart.
It’s all so much fun, right? Better than those two decades of the certainty of a quarterback who never missed games and never gave anyone with half a brain even half a reason to ponder any other passing options. That GOAT-hold on the position that we call took for granted is no more!
But the QB controversy chatter is just that. The meaningful reality is that this week’s trip to Cleveland for the battle between two middling 2-3 teams will probably have little to do with the quarterback position on either side. Whether it’s a battle of backups – former Patriots fill-in sensation himself Jacoby Brissett leads the Browns while Deshaun Watson is suspended and continues to accumulate lawsuits – or if Jones makes a feels-too-soon return to action, the quarterbacks will be playing second fiddle.
In a year that’s seen a resurgence of the run game across the NFL, the rushing game will be on full display for both teams on both sides of the ball.
Bona fide Browns’ star running back Nick Chubb and Patriots’ budding star Rhamondre Stevenson will be center stage in Cleveland.
Two good ball carriers lead two good rushing attacks against, well, two suspect at best rushing defenses.
So for this week, we’ll have to pass on the usual fixation on the quarterback position.
“Their fundamentals are good. Their schemes are good. They create opportunities for the backs. The backs, specifically Chubb does a lot on his own,” Belichick said of a Browns rushing attack that’s No. 1 in the NFL at 192.4 yards per game. “I'd say we've got our work cut out for us.”
That’s especially true given that New England has been less than stout over the last few weeks. The Patriots have the NFL’s 22nd rush defense, having allowed more than 100 yards in three straight games. Lamar Jackson led the Ravens to 188 yards on the ground in Week 3, while Green Bay topped that number a week later with 199 yards. There was an improvement, to a degree, in last week’s win over the Lions.
“It's been inconsistent. We've had our moments both good and bad,” Belichick said of a run defense that’s sorely missed Lawrence Guy (shoulder) over the last two-plus games.
Chubb -- who the Patriots infamously passed on in the 2018 draft to take Georgia teammate Sony Michel in the first round -- has 593 yards rushing and a 6.1 average with seven touchdowns in five games. Kareem Hunt chips in with another 247 yards and 4.3 average with two scores as the Browns average 5.3 yards per rush as a team on the season.
“This week is a huge challenge stopping the run. They have one of the best offensive lines in the NFL when it comes to running the ball. And you won’t play a better backfield than Chubb and Hunt,” Devin McCourty declared.
But the Patriots have their own playmaking workhorse in the backfield in Stevenson who just might be ready to take his name and game to the next level. After Damien Harris went down with a hamstring injury in last Sunday’s win over the Lions, Stevenson carried the full load to the tune of career bests of 25 rushes for 161 yards (6.4 avg.).
With Harris limited in practice and likely sidelined, Stevenson will have to lead New England’s ninth-ranked rush attack in Cleveland. Fortunately for him he’ll face the NFL’s 28th rush defense, a Browns’ front that allows 5.3 yards per carry on the season.
“He does a great job with the ball in his hands,” Belichick raved about second-year former fourth-round pick Stevenson, who’s come as far in his year-plus in New England as maybe any player in recent memory. “He is a strong runner, but he can make people miss. He is a really good football player. Really a good football player. So glad we have him.
“He is a good all-around back. Love him. Love him.”
Belichick loves Stevenson and the Patriots will need him more than ever against the Browns. A week after donning the throwback Pat Patriot helmets and red jerseys, New England may need a throwback, run-first offensive approach in what could and should probably be a battle of rushing attacks. Whoever runs to its offensive rushing strength and covers up its deficiency in run defense will be well on its way to victory.
Maybe we can get back to the QB chatter, controversy and conspiracy theories next week.
This Sunday in Cleveland is about Chubb, Stevenson and some good ol’ fashioned pad-smashing football!
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