Patriots Rookie Quarterback Struggling in Preseason Opener

New England Patriots rookie Bailey Zappe struggled in his first drive.

FOXBORO -- The New England Patriots' fourth-round selection in the 2022 NFL Draft, quarterback Bailey Zappe, entered the team's first preseason game early in the second quarter.

Though the offense showed signs of life under second-string quarterback Brian Hoyer, the offense moved backwards with Zappe at quarterback.

Zappe's mental processing speed is visibly slower, though this is to be expected from a rookie. Early in the drive, he attempted a dump-down to running back Kevin Harris, who was covered and immediately tackled for a 2-yard loss.

On anoter play, the young quarterback recognized the New York Giants' cover three and knew to hit the mid-depth out route, but simply acted too late, resulting in a throw out of bounds.

The young quarterback will need to learn get through his progression faster and play with situational awareness, though this will come as he continues to see game-speed snaps.

As a whole, this is the first true scrimmage for the 2022 Patriots. After a surprisingly light training camp with multiple days of padded practice but very little actual contact, initial growing pains are to be expected. Especially considering the offense's well-publicized struggles.

On the other side of the field is a Giants squad led by new coach Brian Daboll. A former Patriots assistant and most recently the Buffalo Bills offensive coordinator, he was the engineer of one of the most explosive passing attacks in recent football memory last season.

Despite New York quarterback Daniel Jones struggling to live up to his No. 6 overall draft hype, Daboll's presence as an offensive mastermind presents a solid challenge for the Patriots defense.