The 2023 NFL season was a rollercoaster for New England Patriots quarterback Bailey Zappe.
An average-at-best training camp and preseason resulted in him being waived in late August. He soon returned to the Patriots, but it was clear that he had not taken full advantage of the opportunity to challenge for the starting job.
But he ultimately did become the starter when Mac Jones struggled so much that the Patriots finally benched him at halftime of their Week 12 loss to the New York Giants. Zappe played in the second half that day and started the final six games, earning a 2-4 record during that span.
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His final performance in Sunday's Week 18 game against the New York Jets was a tough one.
Zappe completed 12 of 30 pass attempts for 88 yards with zero touchdowns and two interceptions. The Patriots lost 17-3 to finish with a 4-13 record at the bottom of the AFC standings.
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The second-year QB reflected on his season and identified a key area for improvement after the loss.
"There’s a lot of things that I feel like I improved on," Zappe said in his postgame press conference. "There’s a lot of things that going into this offseason, talking with the coaches, I’m sure this week, there’s some things that I’m going to have to fix and get right before next year, of course.
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"Turnovers is one of them. Starting from, you know, when I – first season started, being cut, out of here – I mean, it’s a blessing, of course, to be standing here today. But you know, I wish we came out with the win of course. But there’s a lot of things I’ve got to get better at this offseason so we can come win games next year."
Turnovers were a problem for the Patriots all season. Jones threw 12 interceptions in 11 games. Zappe threw nine interceptions in 10 games. Both players lost multiple fumbles. Seven of Zappe's interceptions came in his six starts, including five in the last two games. Zappe also threw zero touchdown passes in the final two games.
"Can’t win until you keep from losing. The more you turn the ball over, the more opportunities you give the opposing offense, is less opportunities that you get," Zappe said. "So that’s the biggest thing. And, of course, you look back at the last two weeks, turnovers were a thing that kind of haunted us as an offense.
"Going into this offseason, we’ve just going to have to clean some of that stuff up. Watch film, understand what you did wrong, fix it, and again, get ready for next year. Can’t come in – can’t say that and then come in next year turning the ball over. You’ve got to fix those things."