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FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — A week after being called off the bench and thrust into his first NFL regular-season game, rookie quarterback Bailey Zappe benefited from a full week of preparation and plenty of support from his teammates during New England's 29-0 win over Detroit. With the victory, the Patriots ended a two-game losing streak and avoided their first 1-4 start since 2000. They also improved to 5-0 under Bill Belichick with quarterbacks drafted outside the first round making their debut start. Now, what once seemed like a perilous situation after Mac Jones and Brian Hoyer were injured looks more than salvageable heading into games against Cleveland and Chicago.
