Foxborough, MA – The Patriots concluded a busy week with a 14-13 loss to the Eagles at Gillette Stadium on Thursday night in Foxborough.
To set the scene, the ominous pre-game thunderstorms were a fitting way to begin the night based on this week's coverage of the team. Objectively, it was mostly warranted criticism. New England's offense was overmatched during Tuesday's joint practice with Philadelphia, where the quarterbacks were under constant pressure, and there were procedural miscues and penalties abound.
Then, the Patriots traded their most recognizable player, star pass-rusher Matthew Judon, to the Falcons for a 2025 third-round draft choice. The Judon contract dispute had been boiling over for some time, but trading their best player in the wake of Tuesday's practice felt somewhat connected, almost like the team was admitting its fate for this season.
The start of the game went similarly to Tuesday's practice for the starters against most of the Eagles starting defense. Current starting quarterback Jacoby Brissett took the offense into the red zone but threw an interception on third down that thwarted any momentum for the offense.
With their former star player en route to Atlanta and the offense still scuffling, the future QB1 provided some much-needed optimism. After only playing six snaps in the preseason opener, third-overall pick Drake Maye saw his first extended action with 22 total snaps in four drives on Thursday night. Maye's numbers weren't eye-popping, but the physical tools were obvious.
As most know, the Patriots quarterbacks wear red non-contact jerseys during practices, and hitting the quarterback is off-limits. As a result, watching Maye in practice doesn't truly showcase his high-end physical traits—he's not playing to his strengths by sitting stagnant in the pocket.
With the red jersey on in practice, Maye admitted earlier this week that it is challenging to mimic his in-game playing style where his mobility is a major factor, telling Patriots.com, "With the red jersey on, it's hard to simulate, kind of emulate my college game. That's more of a game thing."
Without the red jersey, Maye looked more and more like himself with each drop-back on Thursday night. He was attacking downfield, working through progressions, and using his mobility to extend plays and scramble for yards and touchdowns. It wasn't a flawless performance, but it went as well as you could've hoped and certainly quieted some critics.
It's premature to circle the wagons for Maye to start right away. However, with his athleticism unlocked, he doesn't look as far away as some say based on practice reps. It was a long week for the Patriots, but Maye is a beacon of hope, and his time is coming.
Here are eight takeaways from the Patriots second preseason game on Thursday night:
1. Play of the Game: Drake Maye Scores First Preseason Touchdown on Four-Yard Keeper
The rookie quarterback's first preseason touchdown was a glimpse into the running element he can bring to the offense. New England ran a zone-read concept where the line blocks down, creating an unblocked defender on the right edge. Maye reads that defender post-snap, and when the Eagle DE plays the inside run, the third-overall pick runs in for six.
"It was an awesome moment," said Maye about scoring with five other rookie teammates on the field. "We spent a lot of time here. In the rookie meetings in the spring, it was just us. It was definitely cool having those guys out there…a moment I'll never forget."
Now that we've seen Maye in a game without being confined to playing from the pocket, fans can see why the Patriots drafted him third overall. His athleticism is a significant part of his game.
2. Rookie QB Drake Maye Delivers Encouraging Performance in First Extended Preseason Action
After only playing six snaps in the preseason opener, Maye played his first extended preseason action with four drives spanning the second and third quarters (22 total snaps).
The Patriots rookie quarterback led consecutive scoring drives in his first two possessions, with a 38-yard field goal drive followed by a 49-yard touchdown drive. Maye finished the night 6-of-11 for 47 passing yards, 15 rushing yards, and a four-yard touchdown run.
Although there were minor miscues, Maye's performance was extremely encouraging. He threw several solid downfield passes to fellow rookie WR Javon Baker, made aggressive but safe decisions with the ball (attacked man-to-man), and his mobility seemed to settle him down.
Along with seeing his athleticism shine, the most encouraging step for Maye was how well he worked his progressions from the pocket. Trust me, there's nothing better in this world than a quarterback hitting the backside dig in rhythm. It's like, inject that [bleep] into my veins.
Maye moved the chains with a 12-yard completion to Baker that saw him work a full-field progression with excellent timing. The rookie opens to a high-low (out-flat) to his right that's covered, so he works the backside "inch" concept (inside hitch-in). After initially working the right side, his eyes do the work here, moving the low rat (No. 54) out of the passing lane. Baker wins on a good route against CB Kelee Ringo, and Maye rips the throw for a first down.
Surely, Gillette Stadium's "roof" would've blown off if Baker's diving attempt was successful on a pretty deep ball by Maye. Again, Maye slid up in the pocket while getting his eyes backside to throw a bomb with the safety jumping an underneath route. However, the ball slipped through Baker's hands as he went to the ground.
Maye's performance wasn't perfect. The rookie fumbled an under-center snap, had two minor sprays in the short game, and took a third-down sack. We'll need to see the All-22 on the sack, but he pulled it down after double-clutching in the pocket. That hesitancy has been there at times this summer, but there might not have been anyone open. We'll let you know in AFR.
After all the hysteria from Tuesday's joint practice, where the narratives were that Maye wasn't close to ready, the rookie looked the part on Thursday night. He should get reps with the ones this week.
3. Starting QB Jacoby Brissett Struggles in his Three Drives
The Patriots current starting quarterback went into Thursday night's game with some things to iron out after the offense fizzled out in Tuesday's joint practice with the Eagles.
One aspect of Tuesday's struggles that fell on the quarterback was spotty downfield accuracy: Brissett simply missed throws when the opportunities presented themselves. On Thursday night, it was more of the same, with Brissett finishing 3-of-7 for 17 yards and an interception.
The first series for the Patriots ended when Brissett threw a deep corner route to TE Austin Hooper on third down. Although there wasn't much separation, a ball in Hooper's catch radius would've had a chance to be completed. Instead, Brissett threw low to Hooper's right after finding him late in his progression.
On the ensuing series, the Patriots won the field position battle with the drive starting on the Philly 45-yard line. Brissett drove the Patriots offense into the red zone, but his third-down pass intended for Hooper once again was intercepted by Eagles DB Avonte Maddox.
Brissett chalked up the interception to a miscommunication between him and Hooper. The Pats have drilled these types of out-and-up or stick-nod routes all summer. More than likely, Brissett was expecting Hooper to break inside and post up on Maddox. However, Hooper continued upfield as he leveled off the route, allowing Maddox to jump the throw.
The bottom line for Brissett is that he won't maintain his grip on the starting job for long if he's turning the ball over. The 31-year-old is supposed to be the steady vet who keeps his team in games by protecting the ball and keeping the offense on schedule. If his play is erratic, Maye can give them that with more upside.
Brissett will never be a pinpoint-accurate passer, but it's surprising to see a veteran with a 1.4% career interception rate struggle with turnover-worthy plays (he threw two picks in Tuesday's practice, too). That's not typically an issue for him and it needs to be fixed for Brissett to remain the starter.
4. Sixth-Round QB Joe Milton Plays 11 Snaps in Second Preseason Game
After making a statement in the preseason opener, Milton came back down to earth a bit on Thursday night. The rookie went 2-of-7 for 20 yards. He also fumbled an under-center snap, which might've been on the center who has struggled snapping this summer, and seemed to have a miscue when he went the wrong way on a run play.
Although it wasn't as flashy as last week, Milton's best play was a 12-yard completion to undrafted wideout David Wallis. As he did last week, Milton nicely stepped through the pocket as he completed the pass. My opinion on Milton hasn't changed: he's a developmental backup with huge upside who should make the roster. However, he's not currently in the conversation to start (he only got four reps in Tuesday's joint practice during 11-on-11s).
5. Patriots Sack Eagles Backup QBs Five Times in Wake of Matthew Judon Trade
The topic du jour for the defense following Thursday night's loss was the players' reaction to the Patriots trading Judon to the Falcons.
New England officially announced the trade earlier in the day, with Atlanta sending a third-round draft choice back to the Patriots for the star pass rusher. Since joining the club in 2021, Judon comfortably led the team with 32 sacks. Despite missing most of the 2023 season, Judon ranks 11th in the NFL in sacks during that span – those are huge shoes to fill.
Although it was only the preseason, five different Patriots sacked Philly's second and third-string quarterbacks, including sacking backup QB Kenny Pickett four times. The sacks were handed out to Joshua Uche, Deatrich Wise, Oshane Ximines, Isaiah Bolden, and second-year DE Keion White. We saved White for last because his year-two leap might've played a role in the Pats brass feeling comfortable trading a player of Judon's caliber.
After Thursday night's preseason outing, White credited his strong performance to picking up on Philly's tendency to use vertical sets in pass protection from Tuesday's joint practice. A vertical set is when the tackle gains depth by sliding straight back to cut off the corner instantly. Knowing this, White said the Pats pass-rushers tried to go through the Eagles blockers with speed-to-power, as White did on his sack.
White's other notable point was that he feels more effective as a pass-rusher when he reduces inside to a three-point stance. White said he feels faster off the ball when he can rush from the inside, noting his slower get-off while standing up outside the tackle.
To compare him to a Patriot from the past, White's game is more Trey Flowers than Judon. He can play in a two-point stance as an outside linebacker on early downs to set the edge but will be most effective on third downs as an interior rusher. Assuming the coaches allow him to play to his strengths, Uche and Ximines must step up on passing downs.
6. Breaking Down the Patriots Top Two Offensive Line's vs. Eagles
With the top two quarterbacks playing through the third quarter, the Patriots made sure to protect them as best as possible with a combination of their top offensive linemen in the game.
New England started the game with the same five-man unit we've seen in practice for the last week-plus: LT Vederian Lowe, LG Sidy Sow, C David Andrews, RG Mike Onwenu, and RT Chuks Okorafor. When the third-overall pick came in, Maye started with nearly the entire starting line, but backup center Nick Leverett replaced Andrews. The Pats have been managing Andrews's workload this summer, while he also hasn't snapped to Maye in practice.
After the first drive with Maye at quarterback, the Patriots replaced their starters on the right side with rookies Layden Robinson (RG) and Caedan Wallace (RT). The two rookies are developing well working with the second unit, which has primarily blocked for Maye in practice. New England's best outside zone run, the primary scheme in AVP's offense, came with the mixed line of ones and twos (LT Lowe, LG Sow, C Leverett, RG Robinson, RT Wallace). Lowe and Sow worked the backside combination block well, with Sow working to the second level to create the cutback lane.
The decision to roll with Lowe as the starting left tackle is a bit dubious. He has some shaky reps where he gets beat quickly due to his stiffness and slower feet. On Thursday night, he overset outside with the running back chipping, allowing Nolan Smith inside for a sack. However, Lowe uses his length well and plays with good power, which the coaches seem to like.
In fairness to Lowe, he didn't put himself in this position where he's the Patriots best option at left tackle – that's on Wolf and the personnel department. Unless they decide to make a major shakeup before the regular-season opener. Lowe is going to be their guy for now.
The only other options are to flip Chuks to the left side and move Onwenu back out to right tackle or force Wallace to play out of position as a rookie. Due to the continuity they've already built on the line, my guess is they'll roll with Lowe until it becomes a major issue.
7. Stock Up on Defense: Oshane Ximines, Joshua Uche, Raekawon McMillan, Isaiah Bolden
The Patriots need 'OX' and Uche to provide a pass rush without Judon, and they did that tonight with a sack each. McMillan made a team-high nine tackles and was noticeable coming downhill. Bolden got the start and showed well in a nickel safety roll, closing from his robber spot for a sack.
On the downside, rookie Marcellas Dial had a tough night. He was beaten on the two-point play that won the game for the Eagles and allowed a couple of catches in coverage. He's a sixth-round rookie in his second preseason game, so the expectations weren't sky-high by any means.
8. Patriots First Big Kickoff Return and a Kicking Competition Update
The Patriots hit their first big kickoff return under the new rules, a 53-yarder by undrafted rookie David Wallis. Wallis did a nice job of seeing the cutback lane and hitting it with some burst.
In the kicker competition, Joey Slye made both his field goals, including a make from 51 yards. Ryland made the extra point. Slye has a big leg and has been accurate in the games. He's winning the competition if the fourth-round pick isn't a factor.
DISCLAIMER: The views and thoughts expressed in this article are those of the writer and don't necessarily reflect those of the organization. Read Full Disclaimer
