Patriots rookie quarterback Bailey Zappe did not have a conventional NFL debut, to say the least.
Zappe, the 137th overall pick in this year’s draft, was forced to enter New England’s Week 4 game early after Brian Hoyer, who was replacing a banged-up Mac Jones, sustained a head injury. A sudden call to action is challenging for any backup quarterback, but it’s an entirely different beast when you have no NFL experience and you’re going toe-to-toe with one of the best signal-callers ever in one of the more raucous environments the league has to offer.
But the 23-year-old handled himself as well as he probably could have, and the Patriots nearly pulled off an impressive upset.