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 miscue Zappe had early in Sunday's game. When the pocket collapsed on him on a play in the Patriots' second drive, he wound up to pass as Myles Garrett was about to hit him. The star pass rusher knocked the ball out of Zappe's hand, forcing a fumble and a recovery for the Browns.

After that though, it was smooth sailing for Zappe and the rest of the Patriots offense. Zappe credited the unit for staying focused following the tough play in order to keep the game flowing well.

“I think the biggest thing is staying with the game plan, nothing outside the game plan,” Zappe said. “The receivers played well, the tight ends played well, the running back played well. We just had a really good offensive day today.”

One thing that appeared to be a part of Sunday's game plan was allowing Zappe to air it out a bit more compared two his first NFL start in Week 5 and his NFL debut in Week 4. The rookie completed a deep pass to DeVante Parker on the opening drive for a 29-yard game and also had deep completions to Jakobi Meyers, Tyquan Thornton, and Hunter Henry.

Zappe explained how he tried to control the rhythm of the game with some of those throws.

“I think my teammates and my coaches just helped calm me down,” Zappe said. “Just play the football, that is the biggest thing.  Just play the football. Stay attached to the game, do your job, that is really about it.”

Another thing that appeared to be a part of the game plan was getting several receivers involved in the action. Eight different players, including Zappe, recorded a reception on Sunday.

While usual figures like Meyers and Parker got their fair share of targets and receptions, a few other players who haven't gotten much of their share to this point made some plays, too. Henry led the team in targets with seven while Thornton recorded four receptions in his second career game. Even Jonnu Smith had two receptions, including a 53-yarder, after missing Week 5 due to an ankle injury.

No Patriots player had more than four receptions, either. Zappe said spreading the ball around was a “big key” to the Patriots' win.

“We have a really good receiver team, we have a really good tight end group. We have a bunch of guys that can get open. A bunch of guys that can run routes. A bunch of guys that can get open and catch the ball and do things after they catch the ball,” Zappe said. “We showed up today and it was a good day for those guys. Good day for the o-line, a good day for the running backs.

“It was a great day for the team.”

In what appeared to be a more expanded showing for Bailey Zappe on Sunday, he credited his teammates and coaches for helping him feel more comfortable as he went from throwing 99 yards on 15 passes to over 300 yards in just two weeks' time.

“They have definitely supported me,” Zappe said of his teammates and coaches. “I ask a lot of questions on the sidelines and they keep me calm on the field. When you have guys like we have on the offensive side, it is very easy.”

And as the playbook appeared to open up on Sunday, Zappe can't help but notice that there have been improvements in recent weeks.

“We have definitely made some strides,” Zappe said. “Of course, there are some things we can fix up on the offensive, I’m sure the defense has some things on their side that they can fix up, special teams. That’s the great thing about football. We always have next week, we always have next practice.”

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After going 2-0 through his first two starts and giving New England a chance to win against Green Bay in Week 4, Zappe has inflected “Zappe Fever” through of the Patriots' fanbase.

Zappe isn't acting self-indulgent though. Instead, he's ready to get back to work, where he could be back on the bench again as Mac Jones inched closer to making his return to action this week.

“To be quite honest with you, I am just taking advantage of the opportunity and practice,” Bailey Zappe said. “I’m taking it week-by-week, as we come back tomorrow and watch the film on this game, it is really on to the Bears.”