The New England Patriots kicked off their preseason slate of games last Thursday night with a loss to the Houston Texans 20-9 in their only preseason match-up in Foxborough this year. The Patriots’ record in preseason games certainly doesn’t matter, but at least on Saturday night, we can expect to see the starters after a week of joint practices as they face off against the Green Bay Packers.
NEW THIS WEEK:
New England brought in running back Ezekiel Elliott this week after injuries slowed Ty Montgomery and Pierre Strong. Elliott should team with starter Rhamondre Stevenson to give the Patriots a solid one-two punch at running back and give edge-of-roster players Kevin Harris and J.J. Taylor a clear message that they need to step up on Saturday night.
The Patriots have been fighting injuries in camp (like all NFL teams). Tight end Mike Gesicki is slowed with a mild shoulder separation (easy to say when it’s not your shoulder), and the offensive line hasn’t started to get healthy and is dealing with more players going down.
Impressive second-year guard/center Kody Russey was injured against Houston and fourth-round draft pick guard/center Jake Andrews left the field during Thursday’s joint practice and his status is unknown. Free agent tackle Calvin Anderson remains on the non-football injury (NFI) list. Add in expected starting right guard Mike Onwenu on the PUP, starting left guard Cole Strange out for over a week and now right tackle Conor McDermott with an undisclosed injury and the offensive line could be near its breaking point.
BROADCAST:
The Patriots Preseason Television Network on WBZ-TV CBS in Boston will again broadcast this week’s game. With it being preseason, the television broadcast will simulcast the game on the radio from 98.5 The Sports Hub.
Bob Socci returns to provide the play-by-play and is joined by former Patriots quarterback and 98.5 the Sports Hub “personality” Scott Zolak in the broadcast booth. Paul Perillo, who was not required to dress like a Bob’s Discount Furniture employee last week, provides “studio analysis”. The great Steve–son of Ron–Burton will be on the sidelines.
Once again, the Patriots are adding a live stream broadcast. Twins and former Patriots secondary stars Devin and Jason McCourty will be featured in “The McCourty TwinCast” to complement the broadcast. The TwinCast will stream on Patriots.com and WBZ.com for this week’s game. The TwinCast will also be on WSBK-TV 38 in the Boston market.
The preseason games are also broadcast in NH, ME, RI, VT and Hawaii and Alaska (for some reason).
BRIGHT LIGHTS:
Last week’s game against Houston was highlighted by two rookies finally getting their shot to show off under the bright lights.
Undrafted free agent wide receiver/special teams/quarterback Malik Cunningham stole the show on offense in the fourth quarter by completing three of four passes for nineteen yards and rushing for thirty-four yards and a touchdown.
His best play was the incompletion which was a perfect pass while rolling away from pressure. He threw a strike to Tre Nixon in the end zone and Nixon simply dropped it.
On defense, second-round draft pick Keion White was unblockable. He was a source of constant pressure in the backfield and blew up a mishandled hand-off resulting in a turnover for New England’s defense.
This is a big week for all the players on the edge of the roster fighting to get the attention of the coaching staff as waiting to pop in the final preseason game may be “too little, too late”. The Patriots are cutting down from 90 to 53 after the last preseason game and some players may be close to missing their chance to impress.
WHAT TO WATCH FOR (W2W4):
With that in mind, here’s a quick look at some of the players on offense and defense with a bright spotlight on them in this preseason game as the make-or-break preseason games help determine who joins the starting unit and who makes the 53-man roster:
STARTERS:
Mac Jones and the offense should get a chance to escape the negativity of 2022 with Matt Patricia and Joe Judge running an offensive offense that struggled too often in too many circumstances. The slate is wiped clean, and this should be their first opportunity to shine, especially after a great performance in practice on Thursday.
DeVante Parker needs to show he is a legitimate big-play threat still in 2023. Kendrick Bourne should contribute after his bizarre disappearance from the offense last year. Juju Smith-Schuster will be on the field for the first time, and, if healthy, second-year speedster Tyquan Thornton is expected to be a vertical threat.
If the starters can put in a few solid drives to start the game, it will allow everyone in New England to exhale and think some positive thoughts about the 2023 season. If “McCorkle and Co” struggle; however, the fever pitch of negativity in New England will crescendo before the season even starts.
DOUBLE YOUR PLEASURE, DOUBLE YOUR FUN:
Zeke has arrived. Ezekiel Elliott is a Patriot and may get some playing time to give the first view of the new one-two punch in the backfield.
Rhamondre Stevenson is the bell cow back, but Bill Belichick loves having options and keeping his backs fresh. With Ty Montgomery injured again, neither J.J. Taylor, C.J. Marable, Kevin Harris, nor Pierre Strong showed anything close to being able to be a dependable number two back in preseason game one. That led to Elliott joining New England.
Stevenson should be his usual self, but if Elliott can contribute to the passing game starting on Saturday night, the offense may have taken another step toward respectability.
SORTING OUT THE SECONDARY:
The Patriots have a lot of talent in the secondary, but not all players are guaranteed a role and some of that quality depth may not be on the final 53-man roster.
Kyle Dugger, Adrian Phillips, and Jabrill Peppers all should be locked on the roster as the strong safety/linebacker hybrid roles. Add in impressive rookie Marte Mapu as well, as he could be a safety or linebacker, depending on the formation.
Jalen Mills was cut and brought back and had a long look at safety in the first half last week. He showed his capable hands and instincts playing facing the quarterback by baiting rookie C.J. Stroud into an easy interception.
Third-year player Joshuah Bledsoe has received plenty of playing time at safety as well, playing a free safety role like Mills. He needs to make an impression and is a player to watch.
At cornerback, first-round draft pick Christian Gonzalez didn’t look lost under the bright lights. Veteran Jonathan Jones will not play and is out until week one. That puts pressure on the rest of the Jones Gang as Jack Jones and Marcus Jones need to pick up the slack.
Jack Jones’ status is unknown as he was arrested over the summer at Logan Airport for boarding with weapons. No one knows his status once he is in court in September, but for now, he needs to do his talking on the field.
Marcus Jones is an excellent fit on special teams as a returner and at slot cornerback, but can he cover bigger receivers on the outside (as he may need to do if Jack Jones misses time or Jonathan Jones is not ready)? That is something the Patriots’ defensive coaches want to see on Saturday night.
Behind these core cornerbacks are safety/slot cornerbacks Myles Bryant, Shaun Wade, and six-foot-two rookie Ameer Speed. I’ve already discounted Brad Hawkins, Rodney Randle and Quandre Mosely after the trio has not impressed all summer.
Bryant, Wade, and Speed could be competing for just one roster spot (so many safeties to cram onto the roster!), so this should be an interesting dynamic. Bryant has done the job at slot and cornerback during the season, but Wade was traded for and rostered and has the potential to be an outside cornerback.
Speed may be able to be stashed on the practice squad, but Speed has speed. Also, his height and length work to his advantage with Wade and Bryant undersized.
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NEED FOR A BREAKOUT:
In week one, none of the wide receivers did much. But so far in practice, both sixth-round draft picks Demario Douglas and Kayshon Boutte have flashed their skills at times.
Douglas, known as “Pop”, popped during training camp playing in the slot and spent time with the starting wide receivers. He only played two snaps against Houston as he was rested along with the other starting receivers. His quickness in the slot makes him a potential contributor immediately, and is one to watch Saturday night.
Boutte has slowly built during camp, and his natural ability is shining through the last few weeks. He produces one big play each practice. He was quiet last week and needs a big game Saturday night to work his way onto the 53-man roster.
TIGHT ENDAGE:
New England is set at the starting roles with veterans Hunter Henry and free agent pick-up Mike Gesicki (provided his shoulder is healthy enough in week one). Gesicki is not expected to practice or play in the preseason and is hopeful to play in week one of the regular season.
Henry should get his first action on Saturday night. Other than staying healthy, he does not have anything to prove and is just getting work with the starters.
Anthony Firkser, Matt Sokol, Scotty Washington, and Johnny Lumpkin are competing for the backup tight end role, and all bring diverse skills to the role. Washington and Sokol each had one reception on Thursday night, but no one stood out.
The veteran Firkser should be the favorite. Washington is a converted receiver who has been on multiple practice squads in his quest to convert to tight end but has struggled as a blocker.
Sokol stands out by wearing Rob Gronkowski’s number 87 on the field. Lumpkin is one-dimensional as a blocker.
There still may be only one spot as a backup tight end available; four players are competing for that role. None of the four looked special on Thursday night and one of them needs to separate from the pack and grab that roster spot.
– Hal Bent has covered the New England Patriots for the past five years at FullPressCoverage.com and can be found at @halbent01 on Twitter/@halbent3 on Threads and manning the @FPC_Patriots Twitter account each game day providing game updates, instant analysis, complaining about uncalled holding penalties and calling out Steve Belichick for playing too much zone coverage in crucial situations.