The Patriots finished up the preseason on Thursday night in a game that didn’t exactly preview what’s about to come.
In the final exhibition matchup, against the New York Giants, Mike Vrabel sat his starting lineups in favor of his second and third string backups.
Marquee Patriots players such as Drake Maye, Stefon Diggs, TreVeyon Henderson, Hunter Henry, DeMario Douglas, and Will Campbell didn’t play on offense. The team’s defense was without players like Harold Landry, Carlton Davis, Christian Gonzalez, Robert Spillane, Christian Barmore, and Milton Williams.
That left a group of backups vying for jobs. Before Thursday night’s matchup, Vrabel, speaking on 98.5 The Sports Hub, said there are more than three or four roster spots up for grabs. The Patriots will whittle their 90-man roster down to 53 next Tuesday.
“No, I would say there’s a lot more than that. This is our first year...we’ve got to get it right,” Vrabel said. “We’re going to have to get the right people in the building and on this football team. Whether that’s after their performance tonight or that’s next week, however that works, we have an obligation to the football team to get the right people. So, there’s a lot more than that that’s available, and a lot of things will change between now and the regular season.”
Among the players dressed, who should play a role for the Patriots this season, included safety Jabrill Peppers, safety Craig Woodson, defensive end Keion White, cornerback Alex Austin, guard/center Jared Wilson, and center/guard Ben Brown.
Here are the main takeaways from the Patriots 42-10 preseason loss in New York:
Offensive line battle
The majority of the Patriots starting offensive line didn’t play on Tuesday – or at least we think.
The Patriots seem to be locked up at left tackle (Will Campbell), right guard (Michael Onwenu), and right tackle (Morgan Moses). Garrett Bradbury is the favorite to start at center, and rookie Jared Wilson has the edge at left guard.
Last week, Ben Brown took starter reps at left guard and center. After that, the Patriots also have a competitive battle in their backup spots at tackle, guard, and center.
During the pregame show on 98.5 The Sports Hub, Vrabel was asked about a timeline for picking his starting offensive line.
“I’m not anxious to say we have to choose tomorrow the five guys,” Vrabel said. “We think we have a group that we’re going to work with, and obviously, come up with a decision here on how we’re going to start the season. But not anxious.”
On Thursday night, the Patriots played Wilson and Brown. Their starting offensive line was Vederian Lowe (left tackle), Wilson (left guard), Brown (center), Sidy Sow (right guard), and Marcus Bryant (right tackle).
After three series, Wilson and Brown came off the field. They were replaced by Cole Strange (center) and Caedan Wallace (left guard), both of whom are competing for roster spots.
Strange was called for a holding penalty while the Patriots were on the 1-yard line. They ended up settling for a field goal after that.
In the second half, Wilson, Brown, Lowe, and Bryant were done for the night. Strange’s night was over in the third quarter. Wallace played into the fourth quarter.
Baker’s night
It hasn’t been a great offseason for Patriots receivers drafted last year.
On Thursday, it was reported that Ja’Lynn Polk will undergo surgery and end up on the injured reserve. Last weekend, in Minnesota, Javon Baker caught one pass on seven targets.
On Thursday night, Baker had an inconsistent night. The receiver dropped the first pass that came his way. Baker made up for it on special teams, however, running his blocker into Giants’ returner Dante Miller. That caused a fumble on the punt return, and the Patriots recovered.
At 14:26 of the third quarter, Baker was flagged for offensive pass interference.
If Baker’s going to make the 53-man roster, it’ll be due to his special teams ability as a gunner.
Defense beat all night
The Patriots started a makeshift defensive unit on Thursday night – and were promptly beaten up by Giants rookie quarterback Jaxon Dart. The first-round pick orchestrated a 5-play, 65-yard touchdown drive on the first series of the game.
Dart completed a 50-yard pass to former Patriots returner Gunner Olszewski and capped off the drive with a 7-yard touchdown to tight end Greg Dulcich.
The Patriots started a few players who should play this season for the team. That included safety Jabrill Peppers, safety Craig Woodson, defensive end Keion White, cornerback Alex Austin, and linebacker Jack Gibbens.
The Patriots also started outside linebacker Isaiah Ponder, linebacker Marte Mapu, cornerback D.J. James, and defensive tackles Jeremiah Pharms, Joshua Farmer, and Kyle Peko.
White drew a holding penalty in the first quarter. Gibbens notched a sack.
Gibbens also forced a fumble on Dart, with Peppers recovering. However, that play was called back due to a defensive holding penalty on Jordan Polk. Dart, who landed hard on his shoulder, was taken out of the game. Veteran quarterback Jameis Winston then threw a 30-yard touchdown to Jalin Hyatt on his first snap.
It didn’t get better. The defense allowed five passing touchdowns on Thursday.
Dugger performs
In the second quarter, the Patriots removed Peppers and Woodson from the game. That’s when they put in Kyle Dugger and Marcus Epps at safety.
Dugger, who’s been demoted this offseason, played well in his first series. When it was over, he had an interception, a pass breakup, and three tackles.
At 10:36, he deflected a pass in the end zone attempted for Beaux Collins. On the next snap, Dugger stopped running back Dante Miller for a 2-yard gain. After making two more tackles, Dugger intercepted Winston in the end zone at 6:16 of the second quarter.
Last weekend, in Minnesota, Dugger played the entire second half and has been behind Jaylinn Hawkins, Peppers, and Woodson on the depth chart. The veteran played well into the second half in the final preseason game, finishing with six tackles, an interception and two passes defended.
Wooldridge starts
The Patriots started undrafted free agent Ben Wooldridge at quarterback on Thursday and the rookie played the entire game.
His starting skill-position players were running back JaMychal Hasty, receiver Javon Baker, receiver John Jiles, tight end Cole Fotheringham, and tight end/fullback Jack Westover.
Wooldridge started slow, but had a strong drive at the end of the first half. The rookie hit Jeremiah Webb for a 17-yard gain and then Phil Lutz for 12 yards on third-and-5. Then, with 14 seconds left in the half, Wooldridge connected with Webb again for a 10-yard touchdown pass.
The quarterback had a rough second half, throwing a pick-6 at 1:08 of the third quarter.
Wooldridge completed 10-of-20 passes for 82 yards with a touchdown and interception.
Kicker battle
The Patriots kicker battle has been competitive this summer, but a winner may have emerged.
On Thursday night, rookie Andy Borregales missed a 49-yard field goal at 3:28 of the first quarter. The sixth-round pick has missed two field goal attempts in three preseason games. He also missed a 57-yard attempt in Minnesota.
Borregales hit a 30-yard field goal at 12:38 of the second quarter. He also hit an extra point.
The rookie handed all the kicks and kickoffs on Thursday as Parker Romo had the night off.
Borregales finishes this preseason, hitting 3-of-5 attempts. In 18 days of camp, the rookie hit 85.7% (42-of-49) of his attempts.
Romo has been the more consistent kicker. He was 2-of-2 this preseason, hitting a long of 57 yards. Romo hit 90.1% (38-of-42) of his attempts in training camp. He was penalized in Minnesota for a kickoff that didn’t land within the proper zone.
Attendance
Thursday night was a good time to be a Patriots starter. The team didn’t play most of their marquee players against the Giants.
Among those not in uniform on offense were Drake Maye, Stefon Diggs, DeMario Douglas, Kayshon Boutte, TreVeyon Henderson, Mack Hollins, Antonio Gibson, Rhamondre Stevenson, Will Campbell, Garrett Bradbury, Mike Onwenu, Morgan Moses, Austin Hooper, and Hunter Henry.
Among the defensive players not in uniform were Harold Landry, Carlton Davis, Robert Spillane, Marcus Jones, Jaylinn Hawkins, K’Lavon Chaisson, Christian Elliss, Christian Barmore, Khyiris Tonga, and Milton Williams
Vrabel also held out players who had been dealing with injuries.
That list included Christian Gonzalez, Kendrick Bourne, Kyle Williams, Efton Chism III, Anfernee Jennings, Terrell Jennings, Jahlani Tavai, and Ja’Lynn Polk, who will be going on the injured reserve.
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