It won’t be a fun flight back home for the New England Patriots, following Friday’s shellacking at the hands of the Tennessee Titans at Nissan Stadium in Nashville.
The “Music City” was singing the name of Malik Willis by the end of the four-quarter exhibition finale, while Patriots backup quarterback Bailey Zappe was getting absolutely roasted on social media.
That isn’t to suggest all of the blame lies at the feet of the second-year signal-caller. The Patriots were bad on offense, defense and special teams. It was a trifecta of disappointment for the team in a game that will weigh heavily in coach Bill Belichick’s decision on the final 53-man roster.
Here are the six biggest takeaways from the game.
1
Zappe-Mania goes crashing off a cliff
Not to sound dramatic, but Zappe-Mania is down for the count after Friday’s preseason loss to the Titans.
1…
2…
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Done!
The Titans sacked Bailey Zappe four times and forced three fumbles with two recoveries. It was an offensive disaster on a night when the Patriots’ backup quarterback took nearly every offensive snap under center. And what did he have to show for all of that time on the field?
He went 8-of-15 for only 57 passing yards. Sure, the offensive line was as mess, but the offense also looked stagnant with Zappe under center. He couldn’t get anything going in one of the most boring offensive efforts in recent memory for the Patriots.
After dozing off, some fans probably woke up early enough to wipe the drool from their mouth and see the NFL Network replaced the Patriots-Titans game with the San Francisco 49ers and Los Angeles Chargers game. Even the network was bored.
By saying Zappe is done, I’m not suggesting he won’t make the final roster, but I am saying the talk of him replacing Mac Jones as the starter is over. Friday night’s performance was a harsh reality check when it comes to the Patriots quarterback hierarchy.
2
Zappe was bad, but he wasn't alone
It would be easy to just blame Zappe for everything that went wrong for the Patriots offensively, but that would be criminal to talk about the offensive failures without mentioning the horrendous line play.
To be fair, what did anyone expect?
These were the starters for the unit against an aggressive Titans defensive front.
Offensive line for the #Patriots:
LT – Stueber
LG – Hines
C – J. Andrews
RG – Reiff
RT – Sow— Evan Lazar (@ezlazar) August 25, 2023
The depth isn’t there right now for the Patriots along the offensive line, and it showed up in a scary way with the unit yielding six sacks. Heading into the game, there was a report that Mac Jones wouldn’t start due to concerns of him playing behind the patchwork offensive line.
Seeing poor Zappe thrown to the wolves was proof enough that the Patriots made the right decision.
There is hope the unit will improve once Trent Brown, Mike Onwenu and Cole Strange are healthy and back in the lineup. But at the same time, as a team, you never want to be in a situation where you’re forced to hold your breath every time a backup comes into the game. It’s asking a lot of the starters to take every snap for the entire season.
3
Is too much Jack Jones a bad thing?
The Patriots rested their starters, but cornerback Jack Jones played throughout the entire first half of the game. He clearly needed the work after getting exposed in coverage multiple times against the Titans on Friday.
It wasn’t his best effort on the field, and the fact that he played with the backups was interesting.
One possible reason could be the Patriots approaching this game with the thought that he could potentially face a suspension by the league for the alleged airport incident that led to him being arrested back in June. It’s definitely something to monitor in the coming days.
The Patriots have a talented defensive backfield, but their cornerback group is super thin, particularly on the outside. Jones missing any time whatsoever would hurt the team significantly.
4
The Malik Willis Show was in full effect
The Patriots defense stifling a Ryan Tannehill-led Titans offense with a three-and-out on the first drive looked like a good sign initially.
That was until Titans backup quarterback Malik Willis took the reins as the starter and turned the contest into playground football. The Patriots were able to get pressure, but they couldn’t corral Willis, who bought time with his legs and carved them up with well-placed throws downfield.
That’s not what you want to see from a team in a division with dual-threat quarterbacks like Josh Allen, Tua Tagovailoa and Aaron Rodgers. The defense has to do a better job of sealing off escape opportunities for quarterbacks in the pocket.
Against Willis, they couldn’t get off the field, and players looked gassed by the end of the game. The defense has the weight of the world on their shoulders with the offense still struggling. They can’t afford to give up the big plays they gave up to the Titans in the regular season.
5
Standout players in the game
With the starters resting, this was an opportunity for some of the more unknown players fighting for a roster spot to make their case. Linebackers Calvin Munson, Ronnie Perkins and Joe Giles-Harris really stood out in this game.
Munson in particular led the team with 10 tackles and came away with an interception. He also had a tackle for a loss and a pass deflection in there for good measure. It was a stellar performance by the veteran defender. Perkins and Giles-Harris were tied for second with nine total tackles each in the game.
Not everybody is going to make the final 53-man roster, but all three players played well enough for practice squad consideration, if not a roster spot.
6
Keeping a close eye on the Riley Reiff injury
As if things couldn’t get any worse along the offensive front for the Patriots.
Expected starter Riley Reiff went down with a leg injury in the game, leaving an already banged-up unit looking far worse than it did coming into Friday’s game.
Trent Brown hasn’t been able to stay in the lineup, and starting guards, Cole Strange and Mike Onwenu, are both working their way back from injuries. The lack of reliable blockers in pass protection, particularly in the second and third-team units is a terrifying reality for the Patriots.
Imagine what the Eagles’ defensive front could do to them if they struggle in the opener? Mac Jones might have to change his name to Sack Jones.
Games will be won or lost in the trenches. The offensive line must find a way to give Jones the time he needs to go to work, but they’re going to have a tough time doing it with starters constantly going down with injuries.
