Bailey Zappe Breaks Down Second Half Struggles Of Patriots Week 15 Loss

In the first half of the Week 15 matchup with the Kansas City Chiefs, New England Patriots quarterback Bailey Zappe seemed to pick up where he left off.

After throwing for three touchdowns against the Pittsburgh Steelers 10 days before, Zappe completed 13 of 15 passes with a touchdown at home against the Chiefs. Coming out of the half, the offense did not have the same spark.

Zappe threw an interception on New England’s first offensive play of the third quarter and led the offense to just three first downs during the second half. The Patriots did score on a rushing touchdown from Kevin Harris but were outscored 13-7 in the final two quarters in a 27-17 loss at Gillette Stadium.

With a day to reflect on the loss, the Patriots quarterback shared why the team has not been able to keep the offense rolling in the second half.

“It’s certain things, a mistake here or there, like the interception,” Zappe said on WEEI’s “Jones and Mego” show on Monday. “Instead of throwing it out of bounds, I try to force it. If I throw it out of bounds, who knows how that drive goes? They got seven points off that and we lost by 10. It’s just little things like that. That’s stuff that’s easily fixed because it’s mental errors.”

The New England quarterback took accountability and continued to support the efforts of his coaches, including Patriots offensive coordinator Bill O’Brien.

“To be honest, I think (O’Brien) called a great game,” Zappe shared. “It’s up to us as players to go out and execute. Personally, there’s things that I didn’t execute well that we watched today in film.”

Amid questions as to why the Patriots did not stay aggressive while trailing by multiple scores late in the game, Zappe noted that he will stand with the game plan and decision-making from Bill Belichick.

“That’s Coach Belichick’s decision,” Zappe said. “He’s been coaching for however many years. He understands every situational thing that can happen in a game. Whatever he decides, I’m good with. If he wants us to stay out there and go for it on fourth and whatever, we’ll do that. We’ll try to execute it to the best of our ability. If he wants to punt it, that’s what he sees fit. Whatever he decides, I’m 100% on his side.”

Zappe and the Patriots return to active on Christmas Eve night in Denver to battle the Broncos.