FOXBOROUGH - The night started with a celebration of the past, the unveiling of an epic 17-foot statue in the image of Tom Brady, the greatest Patriot, and quarterback of all time.
“Look, I know what this statue represents. It’s not about one guy. It never is. It never has been,” Brady said during the ceremony in the plaza just behind the light tower. “And in football, it never will be. It’s about a team and a commitment to being great together.”
Moments later, the 2025 Patriots played their first preseason game, ushering in a revamped team under Mike Vrabel, a teammate of Brady and winner of three Super Bowls alongside the GOAT.
It’s a team that has talked a lot about wanting to be great together, a mantra clearly forged by Vrabel.
Let’s just say what happened in the game didn’t dampen the mood from the pre-game Brady ceremony.
Vrabel’s team just kept the good vibes rolling, dusting the Commanders, 48-18.
The party started early.
From electric rookie TreVeyon Henderson taking it back 100 yards for a touchdown on the opening kickoff, to the Patriots keeping their foot on the gas with starters and subs alike, it was a glimpse into the future.
Granted, the Commanders opted to sit many of their starters on both sides of the ball. So that factored into the lopsided outcome.
But that shouldn’t diminish what the Patriots showed first during their joint practice with Washington Wednesday, as well as Friday night’s game.
Fans were entertained and given a measure of hope that this team wouldn’t keep the 4-13 streak going when the regular season finally commences.
Offense, defense and special teams were all heard from.
Now, it wasn’t all good. There were notable mistakes. But it was good enough to whet the appetite.
On the down side, Drake Maye wasn’t quite as sharp as he was during the joint practice earlier in the week. He also surrendered the ball with a strip sack fumble - the only significant gaffe for the team. He held the ball too long, and surrendered it while being taken to the ground.
That wasn’t the best look given his problem with turnovers last season.
And Vrabel was none too pleased
“That’s a bad decision,” Vrabel said. “I think we’re going to need better from him. I think he knows that. That’s obvious. It wasn’t there. We just have to find a way to get rid of the football or take a sack and punt and play defense.”
Maye did manage to rebound from that mistake, leading the team on a touchdown drive during his second possession, finishing it off with a 5-yard.
During his two series, he completed three passes for 12 yards, all to Henderson, the burgeoning star.
Mostly, the Patriots got the chains moving with the run game, which looks to be their bread and butter. It was also interesting, and encouraging to see many of the productive runs coming to the left side behind rookies Will Campbell and Jared Wilson.
Henderson had an 18-yard scamper on the ground running behind Campbell after taking a pitch from Maye.
There wasn’t much from the passing game in the two series Maye led. But Stefon Diggs did not suit up for this one.
With Josh Dobbs at the helm, however, Efton Chism III made the most of his opportunity, continuing his push to make the roster by leading the team with six catches for 50 yards and a touchdown.
As for the defense, the Commanders couldn’t do much of anything all night. Cornerback D.J. James, who is playing with the top unit with Christian Gonzalez and Carlton Davis out, had a pick, while Jordan Polk added a second.
So they won the turnover battle, and also didn’t shoot themselves in the foot with a laundry list of penalties.
For the most part, the Patriots played penalty-free.
They were whistled for two penalties, totaling 15 yards. The Commanders, meanwhile, were flagged for a dozen penalties costing them 93 yards.
Vrabel had vowed to stop the Patriots from making mistakes, and becoming good enough to take advantage of other team’s miscues.
It was encouraging that there were no pre-snap alignment or false start penalties, issues that have plagued them in the past.
There were some off-setting penalties on kickoffs, but all in all, the good outweighed the bad.
“It’s a good start,” Vrabel said. “It’s a good start for everything we were talking about.”
For one night, anyway, all was right in the Patriots world.
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