CLEVELAND -- It wasn't supposed to look like this.
Rookie. Third-string quarterback. Out of Western Kentucky. Not much in the way of arm strength. Reliant on a good running game.
But, yet again on Sunday, Bailey Zappe pushed back against all the expectations associated with his road to the NFL and his physical profile. He went 24-for-34 for 309 yards (over 9.0 per attempt) with two touchdowns for a rating of 118.4. He showed good poise in the pocket. He cycled through his reads quickly. He took care of the football. And the Patriots won, 38-15.
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He's now 2-0 as a Patriots starter and he's the first rookie quarterback in the Super Bowl era to win his first two starts while recording a rating of 100.0 or more.
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"He's got some moxie, doesn't he?" Matthew Slater said. "I'm really proud of what he's done. You rewind a month ago, and nobody is talking about him being a contributor for our team. That is the National Football League, you never know when your moment is going to come. Your hope is that you prepare enough and are able to take advantage of it. I think that man is doing just that. We're very fortunate to be in a situation where our third quarterback can play the way that he's playing now. He's really keeping us alive."
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My expectation, after speaking to several people close to the situation, is that Mac Jones will be the starter for the Patriots when they host the Bears on Monday Night Football next week. He was close to being physically ready for the Browns and traveled with the team to Cleveland, but it was determined that it was best for him to watch on Sunday. He suffered what was deemed a 4-6 week injury against the Ravens in Week 3, and the Bears game would be four weeks and one day after the injury occurred.
What Zappe has shown, though, should provide the Patriots with confidence that they have a backup who can do more than simply leave his hands on 10 and 2 and hope that's enough. His touchdown pass to fellow rookie Tyquan Thornton came on a second-reaction throw. His deep completion over the middle to Thornton, with pressure all around him, put his calm on display. A roll-out throw to Rhamondre Stevenson on third down was short but impressive. He took two sacks, but for the second straight week he did not throw an interception.
Patriots players, Bill Belichick react to Bailey Zappe's Week 6 performance
"I feel like we're blessed, honestly," Jakobi Meyers said. "Not too many teams can say they can win in either spot, with one guy who's a starter and one who's a backup. We're blessed to have them both. That's up to the coaches (who plays against the Bears).
"Will I be happy to have Mac back when he's back? Yeah, because I don't want anybody to be hurt. It's a tough thing to watch guys go out there and do things that you can do. I pray for a speedy recovery for him. Hopefully we keep him uplifted because he's a great player too."
Let's get to the grades ...
Quarterback: A-
Are you not entertained? The way this was supposed to go was that the extremely efficient running game of the Patriots would roll over the extremely porous run defense of the Browns. That would take the game out of Zappe's hands and perhaps he could manage the thing to victory. Instead, the Patriots had a heckuva time trying to move the ball on the ground and they carved up Cleveland through the air.
It wasn't a perfect day, by any means. Zappe missed Hunter Henry for a touchdown on the play that eventually led to an illegal touch call on Henry. The Patriots got flagged for a delay of game when Zappe tried to make an "Alert!" call with time on the play clock winding down. He missed badly on a back-shoulder throw to DeVante Parker and then missed again wide on an out route to Henry on the next play. He threw a pair of dangerous slants -- one by the goal line that ricocheted high into the end zone. And he was flagged for an intentional grounding penalty when he couldn't get the ball back to the line of scrimmage.
But there were plenty of plays to celebrate from the rookie, including a throwaway late in the first half when he eluded pressure and avoided a sack. The 50-50 throw he made to Parker allowed one of his best contested-catch wideouts to make a play that got the team into scoring range. His seam pass to Jonnu Smith wasn't perfect, but it was accurate enough to let the yards-after-catch threat do his thing. Zappe had a strong completion percentage over expected figure of 5.9 in this one, per Next Gen Stats, ranking him sixth among NFL quarterbacks in Week 6 (prior to Sunday Night Football).
"He is making a ton of improvements, looks comfortable and settled down trying to figure it out," Smith said. "He knows he has a lot to improve on. For him to have that mindset, he has made a lot of strides in his game. Hats off to him these past couple weeks, coming in doing a helluva job. I couldn’t be more proud of him."
Running Backs: B
With Damien Harris out thanks to a hamstring injury, this was all on Rhamondre Stevenson. The expectation was he'd have his way with the Browns rushing attack, but they threw all they had at the Patriots running game, holding Stevenson to 4.0 yards per carry (19 for 76 yards). He did, however, punch it into the end zone twice -- the first of those coming at a critical juncture in the game.
With the score tied, 3-3, and the Patriots facing a third-and-10 scenario, Stevenson found open running room and made the most of it. He began his track behind motioning tight end Hunter Henry and guard Mike Onwenu. Then, seeing loads of green where a Browns linebacker vacated to blitz, Stevenson cut across the field and hit the end zone untouched for a 31-yard score.
"It is always great to get six points on the board," Stevenson said, while acknowledging that the Browns made a "huge effort" to stop the run.
"My offensive line was just working and it really just opened right up for me."
Stevenson was stuffed on a pair of goal-line attempts but made good on one late to bump this grade back up a bit. Rookies Kevin Harris and Pierre Strong both saw touches late in this one, combining for 10 yards on four carries.
Wide Receivers: B+
Aside from a Jakobi Meyers false start penalty and an illegal block penalty, what was there not to like here? A Kendrick Bourne catch for 17 yards got things started early, though the Patriots lost him to a turf toe injury on that play. Parker's 50-50 grab -- he said later he was no worse for the wear even after an awkward fall -- kept the big plays rolling. A pretty throw and catch on a slant to Parker, not Zappe's first read, was an under-the-radar positive play, too.
There was some nifty route-running from this group as well. Jakobi Meyers shook Greg Newsome in coverage on a post-corner route that went for a big gain, and rookie Tyquan Thornton used a smooth release to create separation at the line of scrimmage for his first touchdown as a pro. Thornton came through with another score later when he breezed past a confused Browns defense for a rushing touchdown. Parker, Meyers and Thornton each had four catches for a combined 161 yards, for 13.4 yards per grab.
Meyers, who didn't score his first touchdown until his third season, was particularly happy for his rookie teammate.
"He balled out, man," Meyers said. "He's just doing his job and I'm proud of him. We all knew on the team what he could bring to the team. We knew what kind of guy he was. Just happy to see him go out there and execute ...
"They don't usually come that fast. It took me about four years to get two! It was just a matter of time because we all knew how special he was."
Tight Ends: A-
It was a breakout day for this group from a production standpoint. Hunter Henry led the team in targets, and though he was flagged for an illegal touch -- which was really more on Zappe for not getting the ball out sooner -- he had a strong day. Three of his four grabs went for first downs or a touchdown, and on his touchdown grab he helped Grant Delpit fall down in coverage thanks in part to a well-run route. He had a false start penalty, but Sunday's performance could be the type of game that gets Henry going.
Jonnu Smith, meanwhile, came up with one of the plays of the day with his 53-yard catch-and-run. The pass from Zappe wasn't perfect -- Smith had to leap and turn it into almost a back-shoulder throw -- but he bounced off a Browns defender and ran away from a tackler for a massive gain. He told me after he hoped this would propel the tight end position group to more consistent showings.
"Absolutely. That's what we pride ourselves on. Just being dependable, accountable," Smith said. "Being guys that are always there for our teammates, put the team first. Making plays. And not just big catch-and-runs or touchdowns. Making plays, (meaning) we got great backs and great receivers. When they get the ball in their hands, man, they're dangerous. So we're trying to make plays all over the field, running game, passing game, blocking downfield for them. Being dependable comes in so many different forms."
Smith was asked if it was ever frustrating not being able to string together performances like this one.
"When we're not winning," he said. "Know what I mean? I think the recipe may change every week. It may not be with two tight ends out on the field all the time. It's not something frustrating when you're winning."
Offensive Line: C+
This may be the toughest group to peg in terms of a grade for this week. Trent Brown and Isaiah Wynn had false-start penalties to start the game off. Brown was later called for a hold as well. And both starting tackles were beaten by Myles Garrett for sacks. The running game's issues early in this one also have to weigh this grade down a bit as well. Only two of Stevenson's first 10 runs -- one came back because of a penalty -- went for four yards or more.
When he broke through, though, he broke through with a big 31-yarder. And on that run, Onwenu deserves credit for sealing off the front side of the play by wiping out linebacker Jacob Phillips. Onwenu outweighs Phillips by over 100 pounds and he used all of his force to drive Phillips out of the way on the snap.
According to Next Gen Stats, Zappe was one of the shortest throwers in the NFL for Week 6 (5.8 yards per attempt), so it wasn't as though he needed all kinds of time to rip the ball down the field consistently. But the line gave him a fair amount of time anyway. Zappe's 2.8 seconds to throw on average ranked eighth in the NFL for this week headed into Sunday Night Football.
Special Teams: B+
If the offensive line was the toughest grade to figure out this week, this was a close second. Nick Folk finally missed a field goal inside of 50 yards -- he'd made an NFL record 64 straight prior to Sunday -- which hurts this grade a tad. Jake Bailey hit a 35-yard punt early in the second half when the Patriots could've used a bomb. Marcus Jones had a fine day as a punt returner (11.7 yards per) but was more pedestrian on his kick returns (19.5 per).
The play that helps this grade most was Matthew Slater and Brenden Schooler being all over a Chester Rogers muffed punt and recovering the ball to put the Patriots on the Cleveland 19-yard line.
Defensive Line: A
Nick Chubb hit the Patriots for a few long runs late in the game with the score getting out of hand and the Patriots playing for the pass. But otherwise? This was a standout day for Bill Belichick's front. They held Chubb to 56 yards on 12 carries, and the Browns as a team were only able to rush for 70 yards on 18 attempts (3.9 per). Against a team that entered the afternoon averaging almost 200 yards on the ground every week, that's impressive.
It wasn't just playing assignment-sound football at the line of scrimmage that landed this group in the "A" range, though. There were splash plays from this group, too. Deatrich Wise had a strip sack and a pass batted at the line. Davon Godchaux had a sack of his own. Carl Davis scooped up a Jacoby Brissett fumble and ran with it for 17 yards. This group played a real role in helping the Patriots score 24 points off of turnovers in this one. Davis was flagged for encroachment at one point, but the big plays outweighed whatever smaller blemishes this unit, coached by DeMarcus Covington, racked up.
"Yeah, that complementary football is what we need to play," Belichick said. "We need to do that. We need to play good defense, play good in the kicking game, good field position, then the offense to capitalize on it. Offensively, keep the defense from being on a short field. Stop turning the ball over. You can’t make them punt it and put them on a long field. Give the defense a chance to play defense. Some of the things we didn’t do well earlier in the year, we do a better job of now. Hopefully we can do them."
Linebackers: A
This group had itself a day in limiting the Browns on the ground. Matt Judon came up with a couple of run stuffs. Ja'Whaun Bentley teamed up with Christian Barmore to notch another. The Patriots were able to stifle a fourth-down quick snap attempt by Jacoby Brissett in the second quarter for a turnover on downs.
This group gets a lot of credit for another turnover in the third quarter when Bentley blitzed and hit Brissett, forcing an off-the-mark throw that was picked by Jalen Mills. Meanwhile, Anfernee Jennings was in on his first-career sack, splitting one with fellow linebacker Mack Wilson.
But it was what they did early in the game -- with the score still close enough that the threat of the Browns rushing attack was real -- that helped secure the Patriots their third win of the season.
"Obviously, credit to them," Browns coach Kevin Stefanski said after the game. "We just didn’t get enough going early. Didn’t get enough seams in the run game for Nick or Kareem (Hunt). Ultimately, that is on me to figure out a way to get those guys going."
Secondary: B+
Kyle Dugger may not have been ready for the second play of the game, which had to have been a schemed-up shot the Browns were planning on all week. When Brissett rolled to his right off a play-action fake, it looked as though Dugger was ready to play the run and attack the line of scrimmage. Had Brissett pulled the trigger quickly, he may have had tight end Pharaoh Brown for a long gain. But when Brissett hesitated, it gave Dugger a chance to use his speed to track down his assignment and make the interception.
Patriots defensive backs were around the football all afternoon. Marcus Jones was where he needed to be on Amari Cooper on a third-down incompletion. Fellow rookie Jack Jones had a pass breakup when on Cooper, too, and he prevented Cooper from scoring with good coverage in the end zone in the second quarter. After that particular play, Jones seemed to have words for the Browns fans in attendance down in that end of the stadium who were looking for a pass-interference call.
He added: "Amari is one of the best receivers in the league so when you're going against a guy like that, you've got to lock in every play and can't take a play off. He really PI'd me if you watch it. He kind of grabbed me and threw me by that took away the opportunity to intercept the ball. The most important thing was that he didn't catch it so that was a good thing."
Add a Jalen Mills interception here and it was a very solid day for New England's defensive backs. Mills was flagged for pass interference, and there were a handful of plays where it looked like players missed opportunities to make plays on the football -- Devin McCourty, Marcus Jones and Myles Bryant all appeared to have near-breakups that went for catches -- but those weren't enough to knock this grade any lower than where it is.