Patriots Fans Upset With Zappe, Belichick for Hurting Draft Spot in Win vs. Steelers

The New England Patriots won.

That might not be a good thing for the long-term outlook of the franchise.

New England improved to 3-10 on the season and ended its five-game losing streak with a 21-18 victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers. It was a game that meant far more for the 2023 Steelers, who are still in the playoff race at 7-6, than the 2023 Patriots, which made the outcome all the more surprising.

In fact, it even left some New England fans conflicted and upset that it may hurt the team's ability to select the likes of Caleb Williams, Marvin Harrison Jr. or Drake Maye with draft positioning all that's on the line for the team at this point:

There was no reason to expect anything from the New England offense in this one after it was just shut out against the Los Angeles Chargers and scored a grand total of one touchdown the last three games.

Instead, Bailey Zappe threw three touchdowns in the first half alone with one going to Ezekiel Elliott and two going to Hunter Henry. For 30 minutes, it looked like the visitors were the ones playing for a postseason spot, especially when the Pittsburgh fans rained boos down at quarterback Mitchell Trubisky.

However, the Patriots almost did enough to blow a 21-3 lead.

Their list of mistakes included the defense giving up momentum by allowing a Diontae Johnson touchdown shortly before halftime, the offense not scoring a single point after intermission, Zappe throwing an interception to Mykal Walker that would have been returned for a touchdown if Elliott didn't chase him down and the Steelers setting up a short-field touchdown with a blocked punt.

New England looked like a tanking team for much of the second half, but it still had enough of a cushion to survive and leave with a three-point win.

Fortunately for fans hoping the Patriots lose and improve their draft stock, next up is a matchup with Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs.