Zappe Fevah took a hit Monday night.

After taking the field to an almost jarringly raucous reaction, Patriots rookie quarterback Bailey Zappe fizzled out as quickly as he exploded for two lightning-quick touchdown drives. Zappe started 4-of-4 for 98 yards and a touchdown, but went 10-of-18 for 87 yards, no touchdowns, and two interceptions after that. So he went from a perfect 158.3 passer rating to 28.9.

There was also another concerning development for Zappe in the game: batted passes. The Bears totaled seven pass breakups in the game, five by front-seven players. Zappe had three passes batted down by defensive linemen, two of which by noted DeflateGate-rehasher Justin Jones.

Zappe even appeared to try to put more loft on the ball on his final batted pass, with 4:30 left in the fourth quarter, but Jones still got a hand on it. The rookie held himself accountable for those plays, and sounds ready to work on his sidearm throws.

“I mean, that just goes on to me,” Zappe said about the batted passes. “I have to do a better job of getting around defenders, finding lanes to get it to receivers. Of course, that’s something else that I continue to work on. So, I just have to get better finding lanes, getting around defenders, getting over top of them, around them, whatever it may be.”

It was the first time Zappe’s lack of prototypical NFL height for a quarterback was a glaring issue. Zappe was measured at the Combine at 6 feet and a half-inch. As a 5-foot-9 man who’s stood right next to Zappe on multiple occasions, I can tell you he’s got at least a couple inches on me.

But there’s a reason most successful NFL quarterbacks stand closer to the 6-foot-4 range. Those precious few inches could be all a guy like Josh Allen or Trevor Lawrence would need in order to safely deliver the ball over an outstretched arm. Where batted passes were more of a mechanical issue for Cam Newton in New England, with Zappe it’s probably more of a pure size problem.

Physical limitations are what kept Zappe from being a higher draft pick. It certainly wasn’t his record-setting college production. Based on his first four NFL games, it wasn’t a lack of pocket poise or poor decision-making with the ball. Strong intangibles could be what keeps Zappe in the NFL long-term.

But the questions for Zappe, all along, were about his physical tools. The height is always going to be something to overcome. Drew Brees and Russell Wilson are the best examples of guys who did, but they also have more pure arm talent than Zappe.

FOXBOROUGH, MASSACHUSETTS – OCTOBER 24: Bailey Zappe #4 of the New England Patriots walks off the field after being defeated by the Chicago Bears 33-14 at Gillette Stadium on October 24, 2022 in Foxborough, Massachusetts. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)

Monday’s loss to the Bears was the rookie’s first hard lesson about his size. Considering the ongoing mystery about the Patriots’ starting quarterback, it remains to be seen when Zappe will get his next opportunity to fix his problems.

Matt Dolloff is a writer and podcaster for 985TheSportsHub.com. Any opinions expressed do not necessarily reflect those of 98.5 The Sports Hub, Beasley Media Group, or any subsidiaries. Have a news tip, question, or comment for Matt? Yell at him on Twitter @mattdolloff and follow him on Instagram @realmattdolloff. Check out all of Matt’s content here.