As for Chism, he caught all four of his targets for 45 receiving yards while moving the chains on a 24-yard catch on third down. Chism ran a McDaniels staple by motioning into a two-receiver stack with Williams and then running across the field away from Eagles CB Shaun Wade. Chism then ducked underneath to avoid a tackle attempt on an 8-yard catch that produced a first down. From this perspective, the Patriots are trending toward keeping all seven receivers barring a Boutte trade before the start of the season.
**3\. K Andy Borregales Bounces Back with Perfect Night (3-3 XPA, 41-yard FG)**
It's not every week that the kicker is the third takeaway, but after going 2-of-5 last week, Borregales was a top storyline heading into Saturday night. The Pats kicker made a 41-yard field goal and all three of his extra point attempts. He still had some right-to-left drift on his kicks but the second-year kicker made them. Hopefully, things have stabilized with Borregales and Baringer doesn't have a long-term injury.
**4\. First-Round OT Caleb Lomu Gets Extended Run Following Marcus Bryant Injury**
Due to backup OT Marcus Bryant going down with an ankle injury on the Patriots opening drive, New England was shorthanded at offensive tackle (starters Will Campbell and Morgan Moses had the night off). Rather than turning to international pathway player Lorenz Metz, Lomu played into the fourth quarter (57 snaps). On initial viewing, he allowed three total pressures with a sack when he failed to pick up a wrapping Ty Robinson on a stunt over the left side. Lomu's 1-on-1 pass-blocking looked solid and he did a nice job burying a wide overhang blitz from LB Tarron Jackson. Jackson came from over the slot and Lomu got his eyes outside, then buried Jackson into the ground – it was good to see a little nastiness from Lomu.
"We worked on it all week since they do that a lot. It was just natural to be able to see that in the game and make the calls that we needed to be able to go out and pick them up," Lomu said of pancaking Jackson. "\[Finishing blocks\] is one of the things I work on the most.
**5\. Breaking Down Second-Rounder Gabe Jacas's Second Preseason Game**
The Patriots second-rounder played 36 snaps in his second preseason tilt against the Eagles on Saturday night and it was once again a mixed bag. Jacas logged a quarterback hit on an unblocked pressure but was called for roughing the passer (late hit) and was kicked out by Eagles OT Markel Bell to create a lane for an 18-yard run by RB Will Shipley. At 6-9, 346 pounds, Bell is a monster, but those "power" matchups are ones that Jacas will need to win more consistently at this level. I remain optimistic about Jacas because you see a foundation to build on as a power rusher but the discipline and play recognition will need to improve.
**6\. Vrabel Praises RB Lan Larison for 'Gritty' Performance vs. Eagles**
When asked about the No. 3 running back competition, Vrabel had some praise for second-year RB Lan Larison, who is battling with RB Hassan Haskins and rookie Jam Miller for a roster spot.
"Lan certainly had a good performance, a gritty, tough performance tonight, and did some really good things," Vrabel said. "It is fourth and one. He gets hit behind the line of scrimmage and finds a way to get the first down. Then he is able to break a couple tackles there on third down when we needed it at the end of the game, so he did some good things."
Larison finished with 74 scrimmage yards on 12 touches, turning a few short passes into positive yards (28-yard screen) and converting a 4th-and-1. He has a familiar sub-package skill set to contribute on offense as a gun-run back and receiver out of the backfield (three catches for 41 yards vs. Eagles). From this vantage point, Larison doesn't quite have the top-end speed to be an early-down back who gets the ball deeper in the backfield. Instead, his blend of quickness and power is better suited to run the ball from the shotgun. Larison is also heavily involved in returning kickoffs, which is a primary responsibility for the Pats third back. Larison is the current frontrunner to win the third running back job.
**7\. Linebacker Depth an Area of Uncertainty for the Patriots Defense (Shaq Thompson?)**
New England's depth at inside linebacker is an area of concern. Veteran LB Chad Muma, who was wearing the green dot for the Pats on Saturday night, has had some struggles in back-to-back preseason games (two missed tackles vs. Philly) and left the game late with an injury. LB K.J. Britt also overran a 14-yard screen and undrafted rookie Khalil Jacobs suffered an injury (he has shown promise this summer).
The best of the backups was rookie LB Namdi Obiazor. The sixth-rounder played a corner route perfectly on a 4th-and-1 play-action concept by Philly, breaking up a pass in the end zone by punching the ball loose from TE E.J. Jenkins. Obiazor has gotten some reps in camp practices with Elliss and Muma limited in recent sessions, so maybe the light is coming on for him. Before the Eagles joint practices, the Patriots had veteran LB Shaq Thompson in for a visit (along with DT DaQuan Jones). With the Pats current depth behind starters Robert Spillane and Christian Elliss, Vrabel and Wolf might consider making an offer to Thompson.
**8\. Backup QB Tommy DeVito Throws 69-Yard TD, Adds 36-Yard Scramble**
The Patriots top backup quarterback has done some impressive things in camp practices but DeVito's accuracy hasn't translated into the preseason games. The fourth-year quarterback was 8-of-15 for 151 passing yards and a touchdown while adding a 36-yard scramble. The deep ball to Williams was a dime and DeVito's 36-yard scramble was great but his completion percentage over expectation was -12.4% and he had a turnover-worthy play when Eagles CB Kelee Ringo dropped an interception.