8 things to watch in the Patriots’ Week 2 preseason game
The New England Patriots host the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 2 of the preseason on Thursday night. Here are the big storylines to keep an eye on.
Coming off of their only joint practice of the year on Tuesday, the New England Patriots and Philadelphia Eagles get right back on the field on Thursday for their Week 2 preseason matchup at Gillette Stadium. That means it’s time for another ‘What to Watch For.’
Most of the top storylines heading into this game relate to what happened in the joint practice between these two teams on Tuesday – the Patriots’ only joint practice of the summer. It was a tough day for the Patriots’ offense, in particular the offensive line. Meanwhile the defense fared better against one of the best offenses in the league.
Where does that leave us heading into Thursday? Here’s what I’ll be keeping an eye on…
What will the offensive line look like?
The biggest story heading into this game is without a doubt the Patriots’ offensive line. In their first reps against another opponent on Tuesday the line struggled significantly, with over 20 percent of the drop backs across all quarterbacks resulting in would-be sacks.
At the start of training camp, head coach Jerod Mayo said the hope was for the team to have a starting offensive line identified (for Week 1) heading into the third preseason game. That means this is the last chance for the coaching staff to evaluate the linemen in game action before that deadline. Can this current group of five prove they deserve a longer look? Or will the coaching staff come away feeling changes need to be made up front?
Quarterback reps
While the offensive line is the biggest story coming into this game, the biggest story coming out of the preseason opener was the distribution of quarterback reps. Jacoby Brissett and rookie Drake Maye got only one drive each (Maye played just seven snaps, the fewest of any first-round quarterback in his preseason debut since 2021 per ESPN’s Mike Reiss), as the coaching staff turned the game over to Bailey Zappe for most of the night before Joe Milton got two drives late.
Following the game, Jerod Mayo noted that the Patriots’ offensive line was part of the reason the top quarterbacks’ reps were limited. Then ahead of the first practice following the game Mayo told reporters the plan was for the Patriots’ starters and Maye himself to play more.
Is that still the plan? Or did the performance by the offensive line on Tuesday change things in the coaches eyes? At this point it seems unlikely Maye will start Week 1, so it will be interesting to see how aggressive the coaches are about getting him reps.
Obviously if Maye does play a good amount, his performance will be a top story coming out of the game. After throwing just three passes last week, there still really isn’t enough game film on him yet to paint a picture of where he is at developmentally.
Wide receiver progress
After a solid start to camp, neither of the Patriots’ rookie receivers made much noise in the preseason opener. We’ll be looking to see if they can have more of an impact this week. Ja’Lynn Polk and Javon Baker each flashed high-level catches in Tuesday’s joint practice but didn’t do much besides that, so they’ll be looking for more of a steady role on Thursday.
Elsewhere in the wide receiver room, the battle for the final spot or two between Kayshon Boutte, Jalen Reagor, and Tyquan Thornton continues. Boutte has the most momentum right now, while Reagor stood out in Tuesday’s joint practice not on offense, but as a kick returner. Meanwhile, Thornton may be playing catch-up right now after missing time with an injury last week. Can any of the three position themselves better for a roster spot in this game?
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Third tight end battle
With Hunter Henry not practicing this week the battle for the third tight end spot behind him and Austin Hooper heated up with more reps available at the position. After a rough week last week, Mitchell Wilcox bounced back with a strong performance on Tuesday. Can he carry that over to the game and play his way back onto the roster? Or will another tight end step up?
Rookie Jaheim Bell is certainly worth paying attention to in that regard. Bell started camp behind schedule after missing the first few padded practices, but put together an encouraging showing last week against the Panthers.
Next up in the slot
Last week, we highlighted how Shaun Wade’s experience playing primarily in the slot could help him carve out a roster spot on a team that has mainly boundary cornerbacks fighting for depth jobs. However, Wade hasn’t practiced since the first preseason game and missed one day entirely.
In his absence, the Patriots have given the majority of the slot reps to Isaiah Bolden (which Marcus Jones also out due to injury). Bolden got most of his run as a boundary corner last summer but played mainly in the slot in college as well as this past spring. If Bolden can put together a solid showing in the slot on Thursday, his age and upside could give him the edge over Wade for the final cornerback spot.
Gonzalez bounce-back?
Christian Gonzalez came into the summer projected to be one of the top players on the Patriots’ defense. However, he’s struggled at times performance-wise as there are sky-high expectations set on his sophomore season.
However, Gonzalez had an encouraging performances in the joint practice on Tuesday – in particular matching up with Eagles’ receiver A.J. Brown. We’ll see if he can keep that level of play up Thursday.
Kickers
Ever since Jerod Mayo called the Patriots’ kicker competition “wide open,” Joey Slye has looked like the better of the Patriots’ two kickers. With a week to go until the team has to make a final decision, will he build on that lead or will Chad Ryland close the gap?
Kickoffs
The closer we get to the regular season, the more teams will probably want to work on their kickoff strategies for the new rules. The Patriots’ kickoff and return units had the upper hand on the Eagles on Tuesday, will that translate into the game? Big plays in the kicking game could be the difference for bubble players trying to make the roster.
