The New England Patriots are suffering through their most difficult season in decades, and it has seemingly affected every corner of the organization.
Head coach Bill Belichick, who was once thought to be untouchable, is thought to be in danger of getting fired, and their quarterback situation is a mess.
Mac Jones, who two years ago appeared to be worthy of being their next franchise signal-caller, has been benched multiple times this year, and his replacement, Bailey Zappe, hasn’t been much better.
But defensive back Jabrill Peppers reminded fans that Zappe was a force in college, per NBC Sports Boston.
“He didn’t break all those records in college for no reason.”
Jabrill Peppers voices the defense’s support for Bailey Zappe pic.twitter.com/znc5yFCL4q
— NBC Sports Boston’s Patriots Coverage (@NBCSPatriots) December 5, 2023
After four seasons at Houston Baptist University, Zappe transferred to Western Kentucky University, where he put together a 2021 season to remember.
That year, he broke the NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) record for passing yards (5,967) and passing touchdowns (62) in a single season, while leading his team to a win in the Boca Raton Bowl over Appalachian State University.
New England then made him a fourth-round draft pick in 2022, and he got to start two games last year when Jones went down with an injury.
In five games this year, he has put up 299 passing yards, two interceptions, and zero touchdown passes while completing only 50.0 percent of his pass attempts.
Between the struggles of both Zappe and Jones, it isn’t too much of a surprise that New England ranks at or near the bottom of the league in several offensive categories.
At the very least, they have failed to surround both signal-callers with reliable playmakers, especially at the wide receiver position, as they don’t have a single player with over 410 receiving yards.
