New England Patriots show heart and courage in loss to Packers

Everything about the New England Patriots recent game against the Green Bay Packers signaled a potential blow out.

From starting a back-up quarterback to losing that quarterback early and playing a rookie to facing a team that has the two time reigning MVP under center and lofty playoff expectation, this felt like a recipe for disaster for the Patriots.

Instead, New England went into Lambeau and nearly came away with an upset, The Patriots took a tough Green Bay team to the waning seconds of overtime, providing fans with a reason to believe that the team could be more than a bottom feeder in 2022.

New England Patriots hold strong behind rookie QB Bailey Zappe

The emergence of rookie quarterback Bailey Zappe was desired by many in the fanbase, and he did much better than should have been realistically expected of the fourth-round draft pick. Zappe went 10-15 for 99 yards and a touchdown that was stunning to watch.

While Zappe’s debut was solid, he wasn’t the rookie who shined the brightest. Jack Jones made some flashy plays in his first start, including an interception he returned for a touchdown, and the offensive line continued to build on the progress they have achieved thus far in the season.

What’s next for the New England Patriots?

Still, at the end of the day it was a loss. The Patriots are now 1–3, rank 14th in the AFC and last in the AFC East. New England is likely going to be rolling with a third-string quarterback for the foreseeable future and now run into a series of games that are must win contests to salvage the season.

A pessimist would focus on that paragraph. An optimist will notice that the team proved they can hang with one of the league’s elite clubs. This was the best performance of the year for the Patriots and serves as something to build on.

What is safe to say is that the New England Patriots provided fans with a fun, entertaining football game and that alone is worth celebrating.