Patriots QB Mac Jones (ankle) Doubtful vs. Lions, Bailey Zappe Likely to Start

The positives for Zappe mainly came off under-center play-action while the Patriots had the running game rolling. The Western Kentucky product completed five of his six attempts for 69 yards and a touchdown off play-action in the game, including a 25-yard touchdown toss to wide receiver DeVante Parker that capped off a seven-play touchdown drive in the third quarter.

Detroit’s defense enters this week ranked dead-last against the run in Football Outsiders’ DVOA efficiency metric, so the Patriots will likely feature another run-heavy plan to take the pressure off Zappe in his first career start and open up easy throws with play-action.

However, as we saw in Green Bay, there will come a time when Zappe will need to make a play with his arm for the Patriots to win on Sunday, especially against the top-scoring offense in the NFL. When that time comes, Zappe will likely face heavy pressure from the blitz-happy Lions.

In the first month of the season, Lions defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn called more cover-zero, all-out blitzes than any team besides the Miami Dolphins. With a first-year quarterback under center, one would expect Glenn to make Zappe beat him under pressure.

After sitting in mostly clean pockets at Western Kentucky, Zappe struggled to stick with his reads and get the ball out of his hands on time. The Pats QB’s average time to sack on three sacks was four seconds, and he went 0-for-3 with a fumble while under pressure last week, according to Pro Football Focus.

For the Patriots to avoid an upset at home this Sunday, they’ll need their running game and defense to lead the way, but Zappe must make more plays from muddy pockets as well.

Along with clarity on the quarterback situation for Sunday, the Patriots also ruled out key run defender Lawrence Guy against the top-ranked rushing attack in yards per attempt in the Lions.

New England’s run defense is now ranked 31st in the NFL in DVOA, one spot ahead of Detroit, after allowing 387 rushing yards over the last…