With rookie Bailey Zappe at QB, Patriots nearly upset Packers in overtime thriller

The odds were never going to be in the Patriots favor on Sunday.

New England entered its contest against the Green Bay Packers as 9.5-point underdogs — and that felt fair. When the Patriots arrived at Lambeau Field on Sunday, they didn’t have starting quarterback Mac Jones (ankle), starting defensive tackle Lawrence Guy (shoulder), starting receiver Jakobi Meyers (knee) and starting cornerback Jalen Mills (hamstring) in their lineup.

According to Pro Football Focus' Stat Head, the 9.5-point spread against the Patriots was the fourth highest in the Bill Belichick era.  The last time the Patriots were this big of an underdog was in 2020 when Brian Hoyer started against the Kansas City Chiefs in place of Cam Newton,who was out with COVID-19.

On Sunday, with Jones out because of a high ankle sprain, Hoyer was back in the starting lineup. But that didn't last long. At 5:45 of the first quarter, Hoyer was knocked out of the game due to a head injury. He was replaced by rookie third-stringer Bailey Zappe, who had been inactive for the Patriots first three games of the season.

At that point, the Patriots' odds of pulling off an upset got even worse.  Despite that, this turned into one of the most entertaining Pats games of the season as they battled back and forth with Aaron Rodgers and Packers.

With six lead changes, two ties and one overtime period, this game had a bit of everything. Ultimately, the Packers beat the Patriots in overtime, 27-24. The Pats drop to 1-3 this season.

Brian Hoyer was knocked out of the game due to a head injury

The Patriots had a productive opening drive behind Hoyer. A 10-play, 56-yard series focused heavily on the run. Damien Harris ran for 22 yards on four carries (5.5 yards average) on the first five plays. Hoyer then hit Nelson Agholor for a 27-yard pass to get the Patriots in the red zone. Nick Folk capped the drive with a 37-yard field goal at 9:45 of the first quarter and the Pats led, 3-0.

Things looked good for the Patriots and then things went awry.

On the next series, Hoyer was knocked out of the game due to a head injury. The offense had the ball near midfield. The Pats were pushed out of field-goal range at 5:45 of the first quarter when Hoyer was sacked by Packers linebacker Rashan Gary. The Pats lost eight yards on the play and Hoyer was taken to the medical tent and then the locker room. The team announced he was being evaluated for a head injury. He was ruled out soon afterward.

Hoyer had completed 5-of-6 passes for 37 yards before the injury. Bailey Zappe then replaced him and finished 10-for-15 for 99 yards with a touchdown in his NFL debut.

The rookie’s first drive was a rough one. Backed up to the 8-yard line, Isaiah Wynn was penalized for a false start, pushing the offense back to the 4-yard line. Zappe threw one pass, which was incomplete on third down, and the Pats had to punt.

Zappe completed his first pass on the next drive (9yards to Lil’Jordan Humphrey), but the series went nowhere. The rookie and the offense were moving the ball toward the end of the half and were in field-goal range. However, Bailey was strip-sacked by Rashan Gary with 54 seconds left in the half. Wynn gave up the sack as Gary recovered the ball and cost the Patriots some potential points.

Patriots defense and Jack Jones dominated in the first half

The Patriots defense also got off to a fast start.

Rodgers’ first pass of the game was a gain of 24 to Allen Lazard. His next completion, however, ended up as a turnover. At 8:59 of the first quarter, rookie Jack Jones forced a fumble on Packers receiver Romeo Doubs. Jones, who started in place of Mills, pounced on the ball to give the Patriots the turnover.

The defense went to work on the second drive as well. The group gave up a 20-yard run by Aaron Jones, but settled down after that. On third down, Matthew Judon notched his fourth sack in four games to force a Packers punt.

Green Bay took a 7-3 lead at 13:00 of the second quarter on a Christian Watson 15-yard touchdown run.  In the next series, however, the Pats held Rodgers & Co. to a three-and-out. It was a remarkable effort for the defensive group. Of the Packers first five drives, they punted on three and turned the ball over on the other.

The sixth Packers drive turned into a big one for the Patriots and their rookie cornerback. After starting the first game of his NFL career and forcing a fumble earlier, Jones intercepted Rodgers and returned it 40 yards for a touchdown. The rookie’s first pick and touchdown gave the Patriots a 10-7 lead with 13 seconds left in the half.

Rodgers completed just 4-of-11 passes for 44 yards in the first half.

The second half was entertaining as the Patriots battled

In the second half, no lead was safe.

Rodgers came out in the third quarter and orchestrated a 10-play, 81-yard touchdown drive. The quarterback hit tight end Robert Tonyan for a 20-yard touchdown at 9:20 of the third quarter and the Packers led, 14-10. Green Bay converted on two third downs and fourth down prior to the score.

Zappe and the Patriots responded. The rookie threw only two passes on the next drive, but one was a 25-yard touchdown throw to DeVante Parker. Damien Harris moved the chains on the four snaps prior and then the rookie hit a wide-open Parker at 4:25 of the third quarter to give the Patriots a 17-14 lead.

Rodgers returned fire and quickly took the Packers downfield in the ensuing series as Green Bay tied the game, 17-17, as Mason Crosby hit a 38-yard field goal with five seconds left in the third quarter.

It didn’t take long for the Patriots to retake the lead. On the next drive Rhamondre Stevenson bullied his way downfield before Zappe hit Agholor for a 21-yard gain to set up a first-and-goal from the 9-yard line. Two plays later, Harris ran in for a 5-yard touchdown and the Pats led, 24-17 with 11:14 left.

As one would expect, Rodgers responded. The Packers quarterback put together another scoring drive and hit Doubs with a 13-yard touchdown pass to tie it, 24-24, with 6:14 on the clock.

The Patriots next series was a three-and-out as a sack on Zappe put the group into a hole too deep. Jake Bailey then awkwardly hit a punt for just 31 yards to put the Packers in good field position. The Patriots defense held strong. On a third-and-8 from the 40, Rodgers threw deep to Doubs, who nearly caught a 40-yard touchdown catch. However, the receiver lost control of the ball as he hit the ground and it was ruled incomplete, so the Packers punted.

The Patriots got the ball back with 1:52 remaining, but started on the 2-yard line. The offense went three-and-out as Stevenson’s three handoffs didn’t pick up the first.

With four seconds left, Rodger’s final attempt was incomplete and the teams went to overtime.

Rodgers prevails in overtime

Ultimately, the Patriots magic ran out in overtime.

The Packers won the coin toss and received the ball in overtime. The Patriots defense, however, shut down Rodgers to force a three-and-out. Judon hit the Packers quarterback on third down to force a punt.

Patriots rookie Marcus Jones returned the ensuing punt 20 yards to the 49-yard line to set up the offense with good field position. The Patriots offense, however, picked up only five yards en route to a three-and-out.

A second chance was all Rodgers needed. The Packers quarterback hit Lazard for a 22-yard gain at 6:05 of the extra period. Then on third-and-1, Rodgers connected with Randall Cobb for a gain of 11. That was the first of three completions in a row to get the Packers into field-goal range.

With 30 seconds left, Crosby hit the game-winning 31-yard field goal.

This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: Patriots quarterback Bailey Zappe throws touchdown against Green Bay