Patriots defeat Broncos 26-23 on Christmas eve | What does this mean for the draft pick?
Written by Karver Jordan
The New England Patriots played a phenomenal game in the second half, the offense finally started clicking and the defense continued to do its thing. Here are a few important parts of the game in case you missed it.
Christian Barmore, Mack Wilson Sr, and Patriots defense continues to do well:
The Patriots Offense has been doing a phenomenal job all season, the secondary has been playing solid along with the Pass Rush forcing error throws from opposing quarterbacks. The defense showed up vs the Broncos on Christmas Eve.
Christian Barmore was ready to destroy the Broncos Christmas Eve plans, the young defensive tackle had himself the best game of his young career. Three sacks along with a few more tackles. The defensive tackle finished the day with eight total tackles.
Mack Wilson Sr. the 25 year old linebacker, continued to go under the radar and perform in the win over the Broncos. Wilson had himself three tackles, a sack, and a forced fumble vs Russell Wilson and the Broncos. The Patriots have found a gem in Mack Wilson Sr.
Marte Mapu the rookie Hybrid (LB/S) showed up on special teams recording a forced fumble on Marvin Mims Jr the Broncos stunning kick returner. Fellow teammate Cody Davis would recover the fumble for a Patriots touchdown.
Jahlani Tavai has been stunning this year for the Patriots, the 27 year old linebacker has really shown up in the 2023 season. Tavai finished the day with four tackles along with a forced fumble that would go on to be recovered from former USFL and young Patriots defensive tackle Jeremiah Pharms Jr.
Bailey Zappe dials in second half:
The young signal caller struggled in the first half of play but quickly recovered in the second half and led the New England Patriots to their fourth win of the season. Zappe completed 25 of his 33 passing attempts for 256 yards with two touchdowns. Most would say this was the second year quarterback’s best game of his young career. The pocket movement from Zappe was stunning, the ability to move around in the pocket showed New England fans that this young QB is legit.
Zappe’s favorite target this season has been Ezekiel Elliott the veteran running back has been a great safety blanket all season long, The young QB completed nine passes to Elliott for 33 yards while adding a touchdown. The second-year quarterback also showed off his pocket awareness when delivering a stunning ball to tight end Mike Gesicki in the back of the endzone. Now the real question is, do the Patriots roll with Bailey Zappe next season and draft a wide receiver to help him out? Or does New England still go after one of the top quarterbacks?
With the win what does this mean for Patriots Draft Pick?
New England has fallen two draft spots with the victory over the Denver Broncos.
With the Patriots dropping two spots and having a chance to win vs both the Buffalo Bills and the New York Jets could hurt the Patriots for the long run. New England is in the 2024 NFL Draft QB Market however top picks Drake Maye (UNC) and Caleb Williams (USC) are likely to be gone by pick four. Jayden Daniels is the only reliable option at that spot. As these final weeks come upon us, we will see how the draft board moves around and changes. As of right now Jayden Daniels is the top pick in most Mock Drafts regarding the Patriots. Check out his scouting report: Jayden Daniels.
More about the writer:
My name is Karver Jordan, I’m a high schooler who is writing in New England. I enjoy sharing my sports knowledge with everyone. My goal is to help get the fans to get a better understanding of Teams, Players, and more. If you enjoyed this piece of writing check me out on Instagram and Twitter! Thank you all so much for the recent support.
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