FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- Bailey Zappe has stepped into the New England Patriots' starting quarterback role and is rising to the occasion with clutch throws. One them came in the second quarter of Sunday's game against the Kansas City Chiefs, when he delivered an accurate strike to tight end Hunter Henry in the end zone for a 16-yard touchdown on fourth down.
The score came on fourth-and-2 with the Patriots in a run-based formation with three tight ends on the field -- one of whom was aligned in a lead-blocking fullback role. The play helped the Patriots tie the game at 7.
After taking the snap under center, Zappe executed a play-action fake to running back Ezekiel Elliott, then with his back foot on the 25-yard line, lofted a beautiful ball to Henry over linebacker Willie Gay that Henry hauled in as defensive back Mike Edwards was a tick late to arrive.
The 4 to 85 connection is back.@baileyzappe04 | @Hunter_Henry84
— New England Patriots (@Patriots) December 17, 2023
📺: FOX pic.twitter.com/wW8yHeOhQQ
The Zappe-to-Henry connection has been hot, going back to the team's win over the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 14. At the time of Henry's TD catch on Sunday, Zappe was 9-of-9 for 97 yards and three touchdowns when targeting Henry over the past two games.
