Conor Roche Articles - Page 19

FOXBOROUGH – New England Patriots fans weren’t the only ones surprised by the fact that Mac Jones and Bailey Zappe both played in Monday night’s 33-14 loss to the Chicago Bears. A few players on New England’s offense were surprised, too. Patriots coach Bill Belichick told ESPN and later said after the game that the […]

FOXBOROUGH – Zappe Fever made a surprising and thrilling performance for the New England Patriots at Gillette Stadium on Monday night … at least for a bit. Bailey Zappe replaced Mac Jones on the Patriots’ fourth drive of the game after the second-year quarterback struggled in his first three drives in his return from injury. […]

Bill Belichick made quite possibly the most bizarre decision in his 23 seasons of tenure with the New England Patriots on Monday night. Belichick told ESPN that he planned to play both Mac Jones and Bailey Zappe at quarterback in what ended up being a 33-14 loss to the Chicago Bears on Monday night. Jones […]

While it’s looking more and more likely that the New England Patriots will get their starting quarterback back, they’ll be without one of their top receivers against the Chicago Bears on Monday night. Kendrick Bourne isn’t expected to play in the Patriots’ Week 7 showdown against the Bears, the NFL Network’s Mike Giardi reported Sunday. […]

Somehow, the NFL trade deadline is already sneaking up on us. The deadline is on Nov. 1, a day after Week 8 ends. For the New England Patriots, it appeared in the early stages of the season that they could end up being a seller ahead of the deadline. They opened up the year 1-3 […]

FOXBOROUGH – New England Patriots rookie receiver Tyquan Thornton has already made an impact through his first two career NFL games. The second-round pick recorded a pair of touchdowns in the Patriots’ 38-15 win over the Cleveland Browns in Week 6. Both came in different fashions, too. Early in the second half when the Patriots […]

FOXBOROUGH – Reports indicate that there isn’t a quarterback controversy within the New England Patriots’ locker room, and if the tone of a pair of key offensive players is to be believed, they’re looking forward to Mac Jones’ return to the field. Jones is expected to return for the Patriots’ Week 7 matchup against the […]

It turns out there might not be a quarterback controversy after all for the New England Patriots. Mac Jones will regain his role as the Patriots’ starting quarterback whenever he returns fully healthy from his high ankle sprain, The Athletic’s Jeff Howe reported Thursday. Jones’ return could be really soon, too. The second-year quarterback expects […]

FOXBOROUGH – The situation in the New England Patriots’ locker room has a chance to be very unusual in the coming weeks. Starting quarterback Mac Jones’ Week 3 injury paved the way for Bailey Zappe to play in recent weeks. After going 1-2 with Jones as a starter through the first three games, the Patriots […]

FOXBOROUGH – Bailey Zappe’s rise in recent weeks has been sudden and certainly surprising to many. But the New England Patriots rookie quarterback isn’t surprised by how he got to where he is today. Zappe has gone from being the Patriots’ third-string quarterback to being one of the NFL’s hottest sensations in just a matter […]

The New England Patriots received some initial good news on at least one key player who suffered an injury during their Week 6 win over the Cleveland Browns. Kendrick Bourne suffered a turf toe injury early in Sunday’s game, NBC Sports Boston’s Phil Perry reported. The injury “doesn’t seem that serious,” the Boston Herald’s Andrew […]

As Zappe Fever rages on through much of New England, Patriots coach Bill Belichick didn’t seem to shut down the possibility of Bailey Zappe being the starting quarterback when Mac Jones is fully healthy. Belichick gave a usual non-committal answer when asked Monday who he expects to start at quarterback once Jones is healthy. “We’ll […]

For the second straight week, Bill Belichick made history in a New England Patriots win. In Week 5, he coached his team to a shutout victory over the Detroit Lions, which was his 400th game as the Patriots’ head coach. On Sunday, Belichick won his 324th game as a head coach, tying him with George […]

The Bailey Zappe Fever may have reached a fever pitch among New England Patriots fans on Sunday. However, while the locker room is also excited by the rookie quarterback’s play, they are not letting the fever get too crazy. Zappe completed 24 of 34 passes for 309 yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions, leading […]

Tyquan Thornton made a major impact in just his second career NFL game on Sunday. The Patriots’ second-round rookie receiver caught four passes for 37 yards and had three carries for 16 yards. Most importantly, Thornton scored his first two NFL touchdowns (a receiving and a rushing touchdown) to help the Patriots beat the Browns, […]

The Patriots climbed back to .500 on the season on Sunday, defeating the Browns 38-15 to improve to 3-3 on the season. Here are eight (8) takeaways from the Patriots’ win. Zappe Fever won’t go away The Patriots’ rookie quarterback might be going back to backup duties once Mac Jones gets healthy, but he’s certainly […]

In his second career start, Bailey Zappe played his best football yet in his young NFL career. The Patriots’ rookie quarterback completed 24 of 34 passes for 309 yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions in a 38-15 win over the Browns in Cleveland on Sunday. While his stat sheet looked flawless, there was one […]

FOXBOROUGH – For the third straight week, there’s a sense of uncertainty on who’ll be the Patriots’ starting quarterback. Mac Jones suffered a high ankle sprain at the end of the Week 3 loss to the Ravens and hasn’t played since though was on the practice field in each of the last two weeks. After […]

FOXBOROUGH – Rhamondre Stevenson seems to be hitting a stride in his young NFL career, and the timing to continue to show off can’t be much better than it is now. The Patriots’ second-year running back is coming off a career-best performance in which he rushed for 161 yards on 25 carries in a 29-0 […]

FOXBOROUGH – Matthew Judon made his way to New England at an interesting time. The Patriots were fresh off their first season of not making the playoffs in 12 years. Despite the 7-9 season in 2020, Judon opted to join the Patriots, coming from Baltimore where he had played on a Ravens team that seemed […]

FOXBOROUGH – Bill Belichick will almost certainly go down as the greatest coach in NFL history when he retires, if the New England Patriots coach isn’t already viewed in that light. The Patriots coach has won six Super Bowls, nine AFC Championships, and 17 AFC East titles in his 23 seasons in New England. Despite […]

FOXBOROUGH – As much of New England has gotten a taste of Bailey Zappe Fever, the man who is sprung it upon Patriots fans isn’t paying it much attention. Bailey Zappe originally denied that he’s heard of the phrase “Zappe Fever,” which has picked up steam in the days after the rookie quarterback led the […]

If you’re a New England Patriots fan who doesn’t have Zappe Fever and is hoping for Mac Jones to return soon from his injury, there was a positive update Wednesday on that front ahead of Week 6. The Patriots’ starting quarterback was back on the practice field — the Patriots’ first practice of the week […]

The New England Patriots offense took another injury blow in Sunday’s Week 5 win over the Lions. Running back Damien Harris will likely miss multiple games due to a hamstring injury he suffered in Sunday’s game, the NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero reported Tuesday. #Patriots RB Damien Harris is likely to miss multiple games because of […]

FOXBOROUGH – Rhamondre Stevenson had the best game of his NFL career in the New England Patriots’ 29-0 win over the Detroit Lions on Sunday. Stevenson rushed for a career-high 161 yards on 25 carries and added 14 receiving yards on a pair of receptions. What might have been most impressive about his performance is […]

FOXBOROUGH – The tone of the Patriots’ 29-0 win on Sunday was set on the Lions’ first of six fourth-down attempts. Detroit decided to go for it on the game’s opening drive as it faced just 4th-and-inches from its own 45-yard line. A reasonable call considering the distance, its strong offensive line, the talent of […]

FOXBOROUGH – Bill Belichick was in a good mood on Sunday. Belichick’s Patriots squad put up an impressive performance across the board against the Lions, winning 29-0 to improve to 2-3 on the season after two straight losses. Following the win, he shared his appreciation for a lot people on his squad, starting with the […]

Gillette Stadium was filled with Zappe Fever on Sunday. New England Patriots rookie quarterback Bailey Zappe gave fans a reason to be filled with the fever. He completed 17-of-21 passes for 188 yards with a touchdown and an interception in a 29-0 win over the Detroit Lions, which was also the first start of Zappe’s […]

The New England Patriots improved to 2-3 on the season with a strong all-around performance on Sunday, shutting down the Detroit Lions 29-0. With that said, here are seven Patriots Week 5 takeaways from the brilliant win. 7. Bailey Zappe fever is upon us The Patriots’ rookie quarterback held his own in his first career […]

The Patriots head back home to Gillette Stadium in Week 5 searching for their second win of the season, donning their throwback red jerseys and old Pat Patriot helmets when they host the Lions on Sunday. Here are four bold predictions for the Patriots in Week 5. *Watch NFL games LIVE with fuboTV (click for […]

The New England Patriots are off to a 1-3 start roughly a quarter of the way into the 2022 NFL season, and there’s plenty of blame to go around. While several players and coaches haven’t been too sharp for New England to open up the season, one player in particular has struggled the most so […]

Even though the Patriots are off to a 1-3 start roughly a quarter of the way into the 2022 NFL season, there have been a few pleasant surprises to open the campaign. Here is the biggest surprise though for New England so far. Patriots’ most pleasant surprise so far in 2022 Coming into the season, […]

FOXBOROUGH – If Mac Jones can’t start Sunday for the Patriots, the answer as to who’ll replace him was answered on Thursday. Backup quarterback Brian Hoyer was placed on injured reserve due to a concussion. Hoyer, who started in Week 4 in Jones’ place, suffered a concussion in the second drive against the Packers on […]

FOXBOROUGH – New England Patriots rookie cornerback Jack Jones’ quote on describing the pass Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers threw his way that resulted in his first interception and a pick-6 drew some ire from some folks. However, it appears to have played well with his teammates. On Rodgers’ pass, Jones said: “Personally, I feel like […]

FOXBOROUGH – Just three days after making his NFL debut, Bailey Zappe got starting quarterback treatment. The Patriots rookie was welcomed by well over a dozen reporters at his locker following Wednesday’s practice, a sight he actually didn’t mind. “I just smile. I like talking to y’all,” Zappe said of the experience. After getting a […]

Mac Jones’ ankle is in a better spot Wednesday than it was at this time last week. The New England Patriots quarterback practiced for the first time since reportedly suffering a “pretty severe” high ankle sprain in Week 3, taking part in Wednesday’s practice as a limited participant. Jones was present at the Patriots’ final […]

The New England Patriots will be down another key offensive player due to an ankle injury. Tight end Jonnu Smith suffered a low-ankle sprain and is considered week-to-week, the NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reported Wednesday. Smith suffered the injury in the middle of the second quarter in New England’s Week 4 loss to the Green […]

Week 5 is the earliest Tyquan Thornton can return from his collarbone injury. A pair of updates on Tuesday suggest he could be in a good spot to come back this upcoming week. Thornton is “close” and “getting back to normal” after suffering a broken collarbone in Week 2 of the preseason, 98.5 The Sports […]

The New England Patriots are adding a familiar face to the mix as they close out the first quarter of the regular season. Jamie Collins is expected to sign a deal with New England, ESPN’s Mike Reiss reported Monday. It isn’t known if the Patriots will sign him to the active roster or if he’ll […]