After dropping back-to-back losses, the New England Patriots came roaring out at Gillette Stadium in a 29-0 shutout victory over the visiting Detroit Lions on Sunday.
There was no Mac Jones under center, but rookie quarterback Bailey Zappe was more than enough to completely obliterate a Lions team that had played every opponent tough up until that point. Zappe never seemed fazed by the moment and was completely poised in the pocket.
Buy Patriots TicketsThe offensive line deserves a lot of credit for keeping his jersey clean for most of the night, but the fourth-round draft pick stood in the pocket and delivered the ball on target throughout the game. Some will likely try to snub his coming-out party due to the fact that the Lions had a banged up secondary, which came into the game yielding the third-most passing yards on average in the league.
But a perfect counter-argument would be how incredible the Patriots defense looked against a Lions team with the league’s No. 1-ranked scoring offense. The defensive front remained disruptive throughout the game with linebacker Matt Judon notching a team-high two sacks under his belt.
One play ended in a strip sack fumble that safety Kyle Dugger picked up and returned for a touchdown.
Defense doing their thing.@man_dammn @KingDugg_3
📺: #DETvsNE on @NFLonFOX pic.twitter.com/rESG3E2Lva
— New England Patriots (@Patriots) October 9, 2022
Rookie cornerback Jack Jones also managed to come away with his second interception in two weeks. However, the mere difficulty factor of his pick on Goff was out of this world.
JACK J😤NES@presidentjacc #ForeverNE
📺: #DETvsNE on @NFLonFOX pic.twitter.com/tpQgNl0O0D
— New England Patriots (@Patriots) October 9, 2022
The hopeful vibe continues for New England as they enjoy this victory before preparing for a tough road outing against former Patriot Jacoby Brissett and the Cleveland Browns in Week 6.
