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The Patriots leaned on a number of young playmakers in their win over Denver, as new faces are emerging with strong season finishes.

The Patriots will play their first game without their special teams ace since the 2017 season on Sunday night in Denver.

Patriots quaterback Bailey Zappe led his fist career game-winning drive Sunday in an entertaining, up-and-down battle against the Broncos. The Patriots and Broncos were knotted at 23-23 when Zappe took over with 58 seconds on the clock. Consecutive runs from Ezekiel Elliott caused Broncos head coach Sean Payton to take two timeouts. Zappe then hit wide receiver DeVante Parker downfield for a 27-yard gain to put the ball at the Broncos' 47-yard line. Zappe then hit Elliott for a 5-yard completion and tight end Mike Gesicki for 4 yards before spiking the football.

New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick and select players comment on their game against the Denver Broncos on Saturday, December 24, 2023.

What would help their odds is another Carolina win -- the Panthers (2-12) still hold the No. 1 overall pick after beating the Falcons last weekend -- and strong showings by the Broncos and Bills in their upcoming games. The Pats will not lie down, but in order to pick themselves back up again and contend, they will need a new quarterback. And the only reliable place to find a franchise quarterback remains the top 10 of the draft.