On August 8 against the Carolina Panthers, the Patriots showed a lot of promising flashes and few bumps down the road in a 17-3 victory at home. The following week against the Philadelphia Eagles, a different story was told. The offense was very sluggish, the defense broke down in the final minutes of the game, and New England fell to their opponent 14-13 even with a halftime lead. But while there were a lot of flaws and weaknesses that got exposed on that Thursday night, there were still some positive things to take away from this game. Let’s take a look at five of the biggest things that everyone got to learn about the New England Patriots and see how far those strengths and weaknesses could take them in the regular season.
5 Takeaways From the Patriots’ Second Preseason Game
#1: Drake Maye is the best NE QB in this preseason
This might not be saying much given the limited sample size in preseason play, but Drake Maye has been getting more and more comfortable in this offense each and every day. On Thursday night against the Eagles, he completed six of eleven passes for forty-seven yards and scored New England’s only touchdown on the ground. Maye could have had a lot more yards through the air if it was not for an unfortunate drop by Javon Baker on a perfect shot down the field.
The other three quarterbacks, meanwhile, did not look completely inspiring. Jacoby Brissett only had three completions for seventeen yards with an interception, Joe Milton completed two out of seven passes and took two sacks, and Bailey Zappe botched the snap and gave the ball away on a potential game-winning drive. All in all, Jerod Mayo said himself that this competition for the starting quarterback position is still alive, and it would not be the first time that New England decided to go with the hot-shot rookie over the more experienced veteran.
The final preseason game for the Patriots will be on the road against the Washington Commanders on Sunday Night Football. But while the Commanders might have their depth chart solidified by this point, the Patriots still have more questions that they have to answer.
#2: The defense is still the furthest issue
This offseason has not been very kind to the Patriots defense. Their starting defensive tackle Christian Barmore is out indefinitely due to blood clots, and then their best player Matt Judon got traded to the Atlanta Falcons for a third-round pick. But even with those two absences, this defense is still continuing to excel on three levels.
Despite them giving up a last-minute touchdown and go-ahead two-point conversion to lose the game, this unit still only gave up fourteen points and balled out for most of the night. When backup quarterback Kenny Pickett got the start, New England came up with four sacks. Three of them came from key starters Deatrich Wise Jr., Josh Uche, and Keion White.
One can argue that if Brissett had not thrown that interception to Avonte Maddox, the Eagles would not have gotten those extra three points that became a huge difference in the game. This coaching staff has done a tremendous job of making sure that this unit has not suffered any setbacks, even with the amount of roster changes they have had to deal with, and it is still continuing to prove that they have been the furthest problem with this team.
#3: The offensive line is a concern
For decades, the Patriots have had one of the best offensive lines in the NFL thanks to the genius of Dante Scarnecchia. Fast forward to 2024, and it looks like they keep taking pages out of the Giants handbook from 2017 to 2023.
Throughout the joint practices between New England and Philadelphia, this offensive line struggled mightily to have a good practice and there is a huge reason why, they have little to no depth. Even though they drafted Layden Robinson and Caedan Wallace in the spring, and even with Michael Onwenu and David Andrews returning, there has just been little to no consistency whatsoever. Vederian Lowe and Chuks Okorafor are not exactly cornerstone tackles in the NFL, and with the amount of shuffling and rotating with this unit, it is going to be a very concerning unit to watch.
The Patriots already have a new quarterback and receiving group, so if this offense does not have the line that can protect the pass and block for the run, then it is no wonder why many pundits still think the Patriots will be the second-worst team in the league.
#4: Javon Baker still has a long way to go
Throughout training camp and preseason, Javon Baker has been a pleasant sight to watch based on his athleticism and huge heart. Yet on Thursday night, those who watched the game against the Eagles saw why Baker was a late-round pick. For the amount of big plays that he is capable of making, he has not had exactly the most reliable hands.
On third and ten at New England’s 37-yard-line in the middle of the third quarter, Maye took a shot down the middle of the field towards the third-round pick and it landed right on the button, but Baker could not hold onto the pass and it fell incomplete. Maybe it was the jump that he made that caused him to lose control of the ball, yet it was still very catchable. This does not mean that anybody should give up or write off Baker because he is still an incredibly talented player, but it is a big reminder that he has a long way to go with his development. Those types of plays pop up for every wide receiver once in a while, and the way to make up for them is to continue to learn and grow.
One drop in a preseason game is not going to label somebody’s entire career, so there will be a point in time when he will let the world know to never count him out.
#5: David Wallis is balling
After a promising performance against the Carolina Panthers in Week 1, the undrafted rookie David Wallis picked up where he left off and continued to be a dynamic threat as a kick returner. As a receiver, he is a long shot to make the roster, but NFL coaches know that players have better chances of making the roster if they can make impactful plays on special teams.
Against Carolina, he took a 44-yard punt and returned it to the opponent’s 31-yard-line to set up the first touchdown for the Patriots. This play against the Eagles was even better. Two minutes into the fourth quarter, Wallis took a kickoff from about the one-yard line found wide-open grass, and ran all the way to Philadelphia’s 45-yard line, knowing that the defenders were there in time to chase him down. It was too bad that the Patriots could not get a touchdown out of that possession, but the point is that New England might save up a roster spot for him to be the starting kick returner. If it is not that, then he will certainly be on the practice squad.
If he can continue his progression and improvement the next week against the Washington Commanders, then Mayo and special teams coordinator Jeremy Springer are going to have some pretty important conversations with one another.
Main Image: Brian Fluharty-USA TODAY Sports
