2021 Draft Decision Still Haunts As Bill Belichick’s Men Left In Desperate Need of a QB?

Even after the win against the Denver Broncos on Christmas Eve, the New England Patriots are still at the bottom of the AFC. They currently have a 4-11 record, which is their worst in three decades. The team had drafted Mac Jones, who started in most of the Patriots games this season. But once they benched him and started Bailey Zappe, the Pats have had some luck at winning games.

Ben Violin, a senior NFL writer at the Boston Globe, took to X to share an article wherein he outlined that had the Pats fixed their QB issues before the start of the season, they would be in a much better position right now.

Bill Belichick’s one mistake cost the Pats this season

In the Broncos game, the Pats defense was once again dominant. No surprises there. Bill Belichick has been a DC for most of his career, and for the last month and a half, his schemes have started to bear fruit. Since Week 10, their defense has been the second-best in the entire league in terms of points allowed at 14.5 per game.

https://twitter.com/benvolin/status/1739272361671589943?s=46&t=pIKPMXeuKqUY8G_xJTjkdQAnd Bailey Zappe showed what the right QB could do for the entire team. He had a pass completion rate of 76%, didn’t throw a single interception, and helped the Pats move into field goal range so that Chad Ryland could make his game-winning goal. It showed that Belichick’s decision to stick with his 2021 Draft, Mac Jones for 11 games who went for 2-9, cost the Pats their entire 2023 season.’Read More: “Definitely Not”: Nick Sirianni Shatters Opinions of Benching Jalen Hurts Amid Eagles’ QB’s Health RumorsAlthough Zappe isn’t the panacea to the Pats’ woes, he does seem to be improving with each game.

Why starting Zappe earlier could have helped the Pats

As the starting QB, Zappe is at 2-2. In the first play itself, he suffered a sack and a fumble and gifted the ball to the Broncos at the 6-yard line. But then he quickly recovered and went on to record 256 passing yards, and two touchdowns. He got the entire team involved and in the second half, threw for 164 yards, led two TD drives, and made a pass to DeVante Parker, which helped them get in range for the winning field goal.

The Patriots have a tough battle ahead as they take on the Buffalo Bills on New Year’s Eve. There have been no signals from Belichick that he will start Mac Jones in the game. Fans are hopeful that Zappe will start on Sunday. Kicker Chad Ryland, who going into the game had the worst record in the season, with 8 missed field goals out of 22, is also on the path to improvement. Will this be enough to help them end the season on a winning streak, at least?

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