The Patriots are heading into their second preseason game with a few questions worth watching, and the opponent on the other sideline should make the night feel a little sharper.
New England and Philadelphia meet at Gillette Stadium tonight, giving the defending AFC champions another chance to clean things up before the regular season. The Eagles bring plenty of their own muscle to the matchup, and Mike Vrabel made it clear this week that he sees the game as a solid barometer.
"This is a very good football team. It has been for quite some time," head coach Mike Vrabel said this week.
"They're really good at the line of scrimmage, big physical lines of scrimmage. Certainly, an excellent quarterback.
They're well-coached, good defensive scheme, so I think this'll be a really good measuring stick just to see where we're at this point in camp."
The first preseason game didn’t give much away. In the Patriots’ 13-13 tie with the Indianapolis Colts, most of the snaps went to backups, with Tommy DeVito and Behren Morton handling quarterback duties. Mack Hollins and Kayshon Boutte saw a few reps, but the night was mostly about depth pieces.
That makes tonight more interesting. In 2025, Drake Maye and the starting offense got a few snaps in the second preseason game against the Minnesota Vikings before being pulled, and that could be the kind of script New England follows again.
If A.J. Brown plays against his former team, that only adds another wrinkle.
"Milt (Milton Williams) played there, A.J. played there," Vrabel said. "I think these guys are professionals and they've shown that they want to practice for us. I'm sure there are some added feelings for them, but I'm not going to try to explain what those are."
If the starters do take the field, the real intrigue may come from how much they actually do. This doesn’t feel like the kind of night where New England opens up the full playbook.
On the ground, Jam Miller was the headline last week, carrying 14 times for 55 yards against the Colts. He could be in line for another heavy workload, though Hassan Haskins also has a case after working ahead of Miller during the joint practices.
The rest of the backfield picture is still sorting itself out. Lan Larison had a strong showing as a pass catcher last week, but hasn’t done much running the ball.
Add JaMycal Hasty to the mix, and that’s the group shaping the Patriots’ summer backfield. At this point, the third running back job looks like a straight fight between Miller and Haskins.
There’s also the matter of turnovers, which have already become a talking point. Against Indianapolis, the Patriots forced four of them - two interceptions and two forced fumbles - and that stood out as one of the better parts of the tie. But that came against Colts backups, so the challenge is much bigger now.
Still, New England’s defense has carried that takeaway energy into the week. Over two days of practice against Philadelphia, the Patriots secondary picked off Eagles quarterbacks seven times, and Marcus Jones accounted for three of them, including a pair of pick-sixes.
The takeaway surge is real in practice. The question is whether it shows up when the lights come on.
Then there’s the kicking situation, which took an ugly turn last week. Borregales missed three field goals against the Colts, and the last one came with under 10 seconds left on what could have been a game-winner. That miss prompted Vrabel to mention the possibility of bringing in competition.
For now, though, Borregales is still the only kicker on the roster. That leaves him with a simple task tonight: be cleaner, be stronger, and leave last week behind with a better showing on field goals and extra points.
In Other News...
Patriots Fans Just Got A Wild New Behren Morton Storyline
The Patriots got a little extra preseason theater from Behren Morton, the seventh-round pick who managed to show off more than one skill set in a game against the Philadelphia Eagles. Morton handled quarterback duties and also punted three times, averaging 44.3 yards, while adding some real late-game value by leading a winning drive capped by a touchdown pass to Nick DeGennaro.
Mike Vrabel and teammates took notice of the way Morton kept finding ways to help, which is exactly the sort of versatility that can make a young player harder to ignore in August. Whether his path in New England stays tied to quarterback work, special teams, or a little of both, Morton at least gave the coaching staff something interesting to sort through after a performance that stood out for more than one reason. [Read more 🡒]
Scary Injury Briefly Stopped The Patriots Game And Drew An Update
The preseason opener between the Patriots and Eagles was briefly overshadowed before the first drive ever really got going, when Philadelphia running back Ja'Quinden Jackson went down after taking a knee to the head on the opening kickoff. The injury stopped the game and brought an immediate pause to what had been a routine summer tuneup, with Jackson eventually leaving the field by ambulance.
Philadelphia later provided a reassuring initial update, saying Jackson has strength and movement in all extremities and was being taken to a local hospital for further evaluation. For New England, the football part of the night quickly took a back seat to concern for Jackson, whose status now remains the focus after the frightening scene. [Read more 🡒]
Patriots May Be Sending A Clear Message On Kayshon Boutte
Kayshon Boutte has stayed very much in the mix at Patriots practices, even as his name has started to surface in trade chatter. The Houston Texans interest picked up after receiver Jayden Higgins went down with an injury, but New Englands own recent moves have added another layer to the picture, with the team signing three free agents while Boutte remained on the field.
Those additions can be read as a sign the Patriots are not in a hurry to move him, at least not at a discount. League chatter suggests New England would want a fourth-round pick or better in any deal, a price the Texans may have viewed as too rich. For now, Boutte looks like a player the Patriots still value, which makes the next step in this situation worth watching. [Read more 🡒]