Saturday’s preseason game against the Minnesota Vikings was all about two New England Patriots rookies.
Once again, TreVeyon Henderson had the look of a budding star.
Then there was undrafted wide receiver Efton Chism III, who went from underdog story to an apparent roster lock with his impressive performance.
It was an impressive showing once again for Miek Vrabel’s team, which appears to have some momentum going into the final preseason game.
Here are the immediate takeaways right after the final whistle. FINAL SCORE: Patriots 20 - Vikings 12
-- That was as wild a finish as you’ll see from a preseason game. The Vikings drove down to the Patriots endzone and looked to score on the final play of the game. Safety Kyle Dugger picked off Max Brosmer in the endzone. But as he went to the ground, a Vikings receiver knocked the ball out. Minnesota fell on the ball, which could have set up a potential game-tying two-point conversion. But after review, officials ruled that Dugger was down, ending the game.
-- Efton Chism III is going to make the 53-man roster. For a while, Chism was a feel-good story going up against some stiff competition in a crowded wide receiver room. But after his monster game Saturday, it’s hard to envision Chism getting cut.
-- Chism finished the game with 6 receptions for 71 yards and a touchdown. That one touchdown was a jaw-dropper. The undersized receiver showed uncommon play strength by shaking six Vikings defenders for a 12-yard catch and run. You can watch the play here.
-- Chism was competing with the likes of Ja’Lynn Polk, Javon Baker and maybe even Kendrick Bourne for one of the fringe roster spots. He now appears set to join the likes of Stefon Diggs, Pop Douglas, Mack Hollins and Kayshon Boutte as perceived locks for the roster.
-- Henderson looked good again. His best play was an 8-yard touchdown run where he showed impressive balance to run through contact for the opening score of the game.
-- Through two preseason games, the Patriots’ kick return unit looks strong. Last week, it was Henderson with a 100-yard touchdown return. On Saturday, it was Jeremiah Webb taking a kick back 59 yards before halftime.
-- We got our first glimpse of cornerback Carlton Davis in a game. The veteran cornerback has slowly been working his way back from an injury. On Saturday, he got the start and showed his physical brand of coverage, making an impressive breakup on a third-down pass in the first quarter. Davis wasn’t in the game long, but he looked solid out there.
-- Drake Maye played two series in this game. He was a little spotty, sailing a couple of throws high. He had one pass where he threw way high of a wide-open Pop Douglas. The ball went off Douglas’ hands and right to a defender. Fortunately for the Patriots, the defender dropped it.
-- An interesting wrinkle in the Patriots’ preseason broadcast was having coaches and executives on for interviews during the game. On Saturday, the WBZ TV booth interviewed offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels and later special teams coordinator Jeremy Springer while the game was going on in the background.
-- The TV booth (featuring Devin McCourty, Jason McCourty and Scott Zolak) also spoke to Patriots executive vice president of player personnel Eliot Wolf at halftime.
-- One major question mark in this game was Dugger playing deep into the fourth quarter. The veteran safety is one of the Patriots’ highest-paid players and is coming off a down year. It’s strange to see him playing with the backups. Could he be on the outs under a new coaching staff? That will be a major talking point.
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