After two days of joint practices in Wisconsin this week, the New England Patriots returned to game action on Saturday night. They took on the Green Bay Packers in Week 2 of the NFL preseason.
After the majority of the starters on both sides of the ball sat last week, just about every player on the Patriots played on Saturday night. Both offensive and defensive starters played about a quarter, followed by the backups.
READ MORE:
— Patriots issue positive update on injured rookie cornerback Isaiah Bolden, cancel joint practices
— Ups & Downs from Saturday night in Green Bay
— Sports Hub Underground Podcast talks Patriots, AFC East competition
Like the Patriots, the Packers played the majority of their starters for the first quarter as well, and their top backups deeper into the game. So not only was this a chance to see some of the players who project to be on the field for the Patriots come the regular season, but evaluate them against comparable talent.
What did we learn from all of that? Let’s take a look…
The base offensive system has clearly been upgraded

GREEN BAY, WISCONSIN – AUGUST 19: Mac Jones #10 of the New England Patriots calls out a play during the first half against the Green Bay Packers during a preseason game at Lambeau Field on August 19, 2023 in Green Bay, Wisconsin. (Photo by John Fisher/Getty Images)
No NFL team runs its full playbook in the preseason. Why would they, and put things on tape for regular season opponents in games that don’t count? Instead teams usually run a very base, simplified, trimmed-down version of their offensive concepts, without the tweaks and wrinkles that are typically added in a week-to-week game plan.
Based on what we saw on Saturday night, that version of this Bill O’Brien’s offense may have already surpassed last year’s Matt Patricia offense, even based off what it looked like the regular season. We saw RPOs, coordinated route combinations, changes at the line of scrimmage, varied formations, a ‘pop pass,’ and other concepts that the 2022 Patriots never reached. That, in itself, should be reason for excitement.