The latest Zappe Fever strain was not particularly strong and would likely only be a 24-hour bug in Cleveland.
Former Patriots quarterback Bailey Zappe struggled in his first and only start of the season in the Browns’ 35-10 loss to the Ravens on Saturday in Baltimore.
The Browns gave Zappe a chance after losing seven of their last eight games heading into Saturday’s finale. They started the year with Deshaun Watson, who was bad before he got injured. Jameis Winston took over and was inconsistent before getting injured. Dorian Thompson-Robinson was simply ineffective, opening the door for Zappe.
Zappe threw an interception that was returned for a touchdown on Cleveland’s second possession and the Browns spent the rest of the game trying in vain to catch up. He was 16 of 31 for 170 yards with one touchdown — a 16-yard pass to Jordan Akins in the fourth quarter — and two interceptions.
Zappe spent two seasons with the Patriots and played in 14 games (eight) during his tenure. He started the final six games in 2023 after Mac Jones was benched by Bill Belichick. Zappe went 2-4, completing 59.9% of his passes for 1,272 yards with six touchdowns and nine interceptions.
After being waived by the Patriots at the end of training camp, Zappe signed with the Kansas City Chiefs’ practice squad. The Browns signed him from the practice squad on October 22.
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