The New England Patriots and their fans are riding Zappe fever.
Their rookie quarterback, who started on Sunday because of injuries to Mac Jones and Brian Hoyer, is getting a lot of hype.
However, Bailey Zappe isn’t letting the hype go to his head.
While some NFL players might be selfish with their performance on game day, Zappe is being humble.
So what are the signs of the rookie quarterback’s humility after his first NFL career start?
Zappe Thanks His Offensive Line In His First Career Win
While Zappe had a solid game for the Patriots, he came out telling reporters how his offensive line was the MVP of the game.
Bailey Zappe declared the #Patriots offensive line the MVP today. Here's the proof to back it up. Zappe was not pressured on any of 21 dropbacks, per @NextGenStats.
– He's the 1st QB not pressured in a game w/ 20+ dropbacks since SF's Jimmy Garoppolo in Week 17, 2017 vs LAR.— Mike Giardi (@MikeGiardi) October 9, 2022
His humble take, and gratefulness for his offensive line, was him realizing how good they were against the Lions.
With him getting zero pressures against him, the Patriots O-line did something no other line has done since 2017.
The Patriots offense came into Sunday’s game having allowed nine sacks and left with the same total.
Keeping Zappe’s jersey clean during the game shows how the line made improvements to protect the rookie QB.
While he was clearly thankful for this, his humility didn’t stop with the offensive line play.
The rookie QB continued to thank others for his success on Sunday.
Zappe Credited His Teammates With Helping Him On Sunday
Getting ready for the NFL is a tough task for a rookie QB.
However, Zappe had the support of his teammates to help him in his first NFL career start against the Detroit Lions.
While they supported him, he acknowledged them in his press conference after the game.
"I felt more comfortable with everything and my teammates helped me a lot"
Bailey Zappe on his first career win as a starter pic.twitter.com/EAbvp9jvq9
— NBC Sports Boston's Patriots Coverage (@NBCSPatriots) October 9, 2022
The rookie QB was completely humble after getting his first win, something fans rarely see.
With two solid performances under his belt, he’s showing early how he can lead a team.
He’s 27 for 36 in two games, with 287 passing yards and two touchdowns in those two games.
But will head coach Bill Belichick continue to stick with the rookie QB?
History might give NFL fans a sneak peek at the future in New England.
Belichick Is Sticking With The QB That Will Win Him Games
Back in 2001, the New England Patriots had a franchise QB in Drew Bledsoe.
However, an injury took him out of action for about a month.
During that time, Tom Brady took over the Patriots offense.
Belichick then stuck with Brady, even after Bledsoe was cleared to play again.
The reason for this was how Brady was winning games for the Patriots.
If Zappe can do the same, Belichick can easily make the same decision with his rookie QB.
With the possibility of Zappe taking over the Patriots offense looming, history shows us Belichick could do this.
However, it requires the rookie QB to continue to win games, much like Brady did in 2001.
With the Patriots roster behind Zappe, he can easily take over the offense.
While he’s winning over teammates and fans, he’s also putting in work to be a solid QB.
If he can continue this, he just might take Mac Jones’s job from him.
NEXT: NFL Fans Make Hilarious Comparison To Tom Brady