FOXBORO — A concerning trend has developed over Patriots quarterback Bailey Zappe’s last two starts when he’s come out of halftime looking like a completely different quarterback.
He’s been 31-of-40 for 337 yards with four touchdown passes in the first half of his last two starts and just 11-of-19 for 83 yards with two interceptions in the second halves of those games.
Zappe realizes it too. And playing better in the second half is his personal goal over the last three weeks of the season.
“Yeah, for me personally I think it’s important for me to put a full game together,” Zappe said. “The first halves have been great. The second half hasn’t been so good. I think if I’m able to go out there and execute, run the offense the way it’s supposed to be ran for two halves, I think we’ll score a lot more points. That directly affects on me doing my job well. And then that will relay to everyone else doing good. I think for me, that’s what I want to do.”
Zappe ranks among the best quarterbacks in the NFL when only accounting for his first-half play the last two weeks. He ranks third among 35 quarterbacks with 0.286 expected points added (EPA) per play and second in completion percentage over expected (81.6% vs. 69.1%).
It’s a completely different story in the second half. He’s dead last with -1.135 expected points added per play and 33rd in completion percentage over expected (57.9% vs. 74.5%).
So, can Zappe pinpoint the issue?
“Yeah, I think a little bit of it is just continuing to go through the system and do what the coaches are teaching me to do and what they’re coaching us to do throughout the whole week as far as going right to left, one-high, two-high, things like that,” Zappe said. “Going through your reads and taking the first open guy and not trying to make a play. Not forcing anything and just playing within the system. As long as you do that, this system has been great for however many years. I’ve just got to follow the system.”
The Patriots scored 21 points in the first half of their Week 14 win over the Steelers and were able to hold on thanks to clutch plays on defense for a 21-18 win.
They weren’t so fortunate Sunday against the Chiefs. The Patriots led 10-7 until the Chiefs scored a touchdowns with 35 seconds left in the second quarter. Zappe led the offense on just one touchdown drive in the second half as the Patriots fell 27-17.
It hasn’t helped Zappe that offensive coordinator Bill O’Brien had leaned far more heavily on running the ball in the second halves of each of the last two games.
The Patriots have a 46-19 run-pass split in the first half of Weeks 14 and 15 and a 23-22 run-pass split in the second half.
O’Brien cited Zappe’s second-half interception, which came on the Patriots’ first offensive play of the third quarter and struggles in the run game for the Patriots’ struggles Sunday.
“There were some things that we missed,” O’Brien said. “There could have been some better play calls. It was all a combination of things and we just weren’t able to be nearly as productive in the second half as we were in the first half.
“We just have to continue to figure that out.”