Patriots Ups & Downs: Who stood out in the preseason finale in DC?
The New England Patriots finished off their preseason with a 20-10 loss to the Washington Commanders on Sunday night. Here’s who we graded UP or DOWN based on what took place on the field…
UP: QB Drake Maye
Maye didn’t just survive a horrid Patriots offensive line on Sunday night, but covered up for a lot of those woes by making explosive plays with both his arm and his legs.
The rookie led a touchdown drive on his first possession of the game in the first quarter, first keeping it alive by converting a third-and-14 with a 17-yard run. Two plays later, he completed his best pass of the night with a 29-yard rope to rookie receiver Ja’Lynn Polk. A better NFL corner might’ve picked him off on the throw to Kevin Harris in the flat that resulted in a touchdown pass, but the play “counted” nonetheless.
Maye finished with a 99.2 passer rating and the 17 rushing yards, and all of New England got to exhale after the No. 3 pick in the 2024 draft exited the game unscathed. It’s important to note that Maye did this with mostly starters on his side, while playing against mostly backups on the Commanders, some of which won’t even make the team, playing basic defenses without game-planning. It’s fair to wonder if Maye would look that good against defensive starters that are actually preparing for him.
But the physical talent is undeniable. And Maye will inevitably be the starting quarterback for the Patriots. It’s a matter of when. And it’s OK for fans to be excited about that.
DOWN: OT Chukwuma Okorafor
The offensive line is going to pop up a lot on this list, but we’ll start with the left tackle, because that’s the most important spot. Okorafor committed three illegal formation penalties, improperly lining up just off the line of scrimmage repeatedly. He missed his share of blocking assignments when the play did get off. Ultimately, the Pats will be better off parking him back at right tackle when the season begins.
It’s not Okorafor’s fault that Vederian Lowe got hurt in practice, and that he’s played right tackle throughout his career, and especially that Eliot Wolf didn’t make an appreciable investment in the left tackle position at any point in the off-season. But there’s no excuse for lining up wrong three times. Even if he’s not exactly a Pro-Bowler, he’s fallen short of expectations this summer.
UP: WR Ja’Lynn Polk
Polk caught 2-of-3 targets for 33 yards, most notably the aforementioned connection with Maye during the first-quarter touchdown drive. He continued to build on what’s been a consistently solid summer, which ended with the rookie getting more looks with the starters in team drills during practice.
We’ll see if Polk cracks the starting lineup from day 1 – he’ll have to convince the coaches he’s clearly ready to deploy over all three of DeMario Douglas, K.J. Osborn, and Tyquan Thornton – but he figures to be a factor in the offense sooner than any other rookie on the team.
DOWN: C Nick Leverett
Leverett would only be the backup center, so the snapping issues we saw on Sunday night likely wouldn’t crop up with David Andrews on the field. But Leverett also had a rough night blocking, getting pushed straight back into the quarterback on several occasions. That was a tough look against fellow backups.
Though the veteran will likely make the team, it would be troubling if he actually has to play at any point in the regular season, particularly at center. He could be a consideration at guard, if more injuries arise.
UP: RB JaMycal Hasty
Strong night for Hasty, who rushed four times for 21 yards and caught all three targets for another 24 yards. It’s a legit competition on the running back depth chart, and Hasty may have shown enough on Sunday night, and throughout the preseason, that he should stick around, especially as a pass-catching back. Should he stay as part of the 53-man roster, he may be more than simply a reserve.
DOWN: OG Layden Robinson
Brutal night for the rookie, who has otherwise had a good, promising summer. But Robinson certainly didn’t finish strong, committing a false start and a holding penalty and struggling with his blocking assignments like the rest of the group.
Robinson is certainly going to make the team and, recently, has made enough progress to get a look with the starting lineup over fellow rookie Caedan Wallace. But he still has work to do before he’s ready to start on a long-term basis.
UP: DT Trysten Hill
Hill’s three total tackles belie an active night for the veteran defensive tackle. He consistently disrupted things up front, clogging up run lanes and rushing decisions. Hill has mostly showed out well this summer and should be locked in for a roster spot in the Patriots’ defensive line rotation. Nice finish to the preseason for him.
DOWN: OL Mike Onwenu
Notice a theme here? Onwenu is obviously going to start every game and play every snap for the Patriots this season, as long as he’s healthy, and it’s just a question of which spot. Sunday night showed that he’s better suited at right guard than right tackle, and the Patriots should do all they can to get Wallace up to speed enough to take that spot, so they can slide Onwenu back inside. They can’t afford to have their best overall O-lineman playing out-of-position and sloppy.
Matt Dolloff is a writer and digital content producer for 98.5 The Sports Hub. Read all of his articles here.
