Chris Mason: Bailey Zappe made lemonade against Steelers

Bailey Zappe walked into Pittsburgh with the deck stacked against him.

Entering Thursday night’s game, Rhamondre Stevenson, Pop Douglas, and Kendrick Bourne were New England’s top three pass catchers on the season. All of them were unavailable. Stevenson will be on the shelf for the foreseeable future, Douglas is stuck in the concussion protocol, and Bourne was catching the game from a couch somewhere as he rehabs a season-ending knee injury.

To further complicate things, Kayshon Boutte was ruled out a shoulder injury, and though he was a game-time decision, DeVante Parker couldn’t suit up due to a knee issue. The veteran who had been Zappe’s favorite target last weekend was stuck on the sideline.

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That left the second-year quarterback with just JuJu Smith-Schuster, Tyquan Thornton, Jalen Reagor and Malik Cunningham at wideout on the road, on a short week. Entering the game, they’d combined for 33 catches for 237 yards and one touchdown in the season’s first 13 weeks.

Life was certainly handing Zappe lemons, but the quarterback found a way to make a strong batch of lemonade for a Patriots team dying to quench its thirst.

As the Patriots ran out to a 21-3 lead over the Steelers, Zappe hit Hunter Henry for a pair of touchdowns and found Zeke Elliott on a checkdown for a score, too. But perhaps most promisingly, something clicked with Smith-Schuster, who had been a massive disappointment to this point in the season.

The former Steeler delivered his best game of the year against the team that drafted him, snaring four passes for 90 yards. His previous high with New England was 51. Their first connection — a 37-yard grab in heavy traffic — was New England’s first completion of the season that traveled more than 30 yards in the air; they were cooking right off the bat.

“I think that first catch set the tone for our offense on the first drive,” Smith-Schuster said.

The second-year quarterback’s confidence was totally evident on his second touchdown pass to Henry. After the tight end bolted past a cornerback, Steelers safety Damontae Kazee read the play and darted across the field to help his teammate. Zappe bet on himself and whizzed a 26-yard pass by Kazee’s outstretched hands and right into Henry’s arms. If the ball was thrown a half-second later or a few inches inside, it might have been intercepted, but Zappe bet on his arm — and won.

“I saw a very confident quarterback,” Smith-Schuster said. “Someone out there just having fun, being himself, just zipping it around and making the best of his opportunities.”

Any 21-3 lead that melts into a 21-18 final is obviously far from perfect.

The Patriots struggled mightily to move the ball in the second half. They never travelled more than 20 yards on a drive, and Zappe forced a third-quarter interception. But ultimately, they were able to hang on for a victory because they’d done enough good things early on.

After Mac Jones’ lack of weapons was bemoaned ad nauseam, Zappe found a way to win with an even more tattered group. One game doesn’t make Zappe any sort of long-term answer, but he’s shown enough to shepherd New England’s offense for the rest of the season. His confidence is palpable, and his teammates are growing more confident in him, too.

“Zap was balling tonight today, man,” Elliott said. “He commands our attention in that huddle. He was out there making the checks, making the points, and just had so much confidence. The offense definitely can feel that.”