What to watch for in Patriots' preseason finale vs. Commanders
FOXBORO -- For most NFL teams, the third and final game of the preseason is merely a formality. The New England Patriots are not in the same boat as most teams this summer.
"This game, we say it doesn't count, but it matters," head coach Jerod Mayo said Friday. "There are still a few positions where it's a battle. We've been talking about competition all year, and that's still my message right now."
While the majority of teams will be resting their starters this weekend to avoid any last-minute injuries (like the Commanders, who will not play rookie QB Jayden Daniels), Mayo and company have a lot to sort out ahead of the regular season. There is a quarterback "competition" to settle, an offensive line to sort out, and some wide receiver jobs to be won. And as an added kicker, we have a kicker competition to boot.
Sunday night's preseason game against the Washington Commanders is an extremely meaningful one for the Patriots. And it's also just one of two times the team will appear in prime time this year, with Week 3 against the Jets on Thursday Night Football the only time the Pats are in the 8 p.m. window during the regular season.
Here's what we'll be watching for when the Patriots kick off their final preseason game on Sunday night.
Drake Maye Madness
While all signs point to Jacoby Brissett ultimately winning the QB "competition" in New England and starting Week 1, Drake Maye's play of late has us wanting to see as much of the rookie as possible. Sunday night will likely be our last chance for a while.
Brissett is still the starter and probably won't lose the job ahead of Week 1, but there is no denying that Maye has made a lot of strides during training camp. It may not be enough to beat out Brissett leading up to Sept. 8 against Cincinnati, but his play has improved as his confidence has grown. He even started taking some reps with the starting offensive line this past week, so let's see if he gets some run with the top offense Sunday night in Landover, Maryland.
All four quarterbacks are going to play on Sunday, so soak in all the Maye you can against the Commanders. We might see Maye again during his rookie season, but it could be a few months.
Something from Jacoby Brissett
Brissett has looked unimpressive in his two preseason appearances. After going 0-for-3 on his only drive against the Panthers, Brissett was 3-for-7 with a pair of three-and-outs and a terrible red-zone interception last week against the Eagles.
We're hoping to see something that resembles an NFL starting quarterback on Sunday night, though it's difficult when the rest of the offense doesn't really resemble an NFL offense. But Brissett was brought in for his steadiness and decision-making, and neither have been all that impressive so far this summer.
Tyquan Thornton's Final Push
We've heard some wonderful things about Tyquan Thornton heading into his third NFL season, which is nothing new. We heard incredible things about the speedy receiver in each of the last two summers. Now he has to really go out and show it on the field.
Thornton has a lot of confidence in himself heading into the season after packing on some pounds, and he's lined up as the top offense's "X" receiver since the start of camp. Offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt gushed about Thornton's potential on Thursday.
"His ability to separate is special," said Van Pelt. "His speed down the field, his ability to run away from coverage in man coverage, all those things. He's really been tough at the catch point this year so he's getting stronger in that regard. Hopefully we can see him shine here in this next game."
That would be swell, because we haven't seen much of the 2022 second-round pick in game-action this summer. He's seen just one target all preseason.
Thornton has always played well in camp. But because of injuries, he's never been able to show that on the playing field when the regular season arrives. Sunday night is an important one for him to solidify his role on the team, but most importantly, he has to make it through the game healthy.
Can Javon Baker Catch On?
The rookie receiver has all the potential in the world. But can he catch on -- and catch passes, for that matter -- and make an impact this year?
Baker made some eye-popping catches early in camp, but his issues with drops has reared its ugly head lately. We saw it last week when he dropped that beautiful bomb by Maye, which would have been one of the best plays by the New England offense all summer. It was one of two downfield catches that Baker failed to make last week.
Baker isn't in jeopardy of being cut after being taken in the fourth round, but he needs to make the most of his playing time and his targets on Sunday if he wants to be in the game plan come Week 1.
The Offensive Line Shuffle
This is the big one. Again. Losing Vederian Lowe shouldn't be huge, line-shifting news, but that's what it feels like with this New England offensive line.
The Patriots are still looking for the "best" five-man lineup. With Lowe out with a oblique injury on Thursday, Chukwuma Okorafor was back at left tackle with Mike Onwenu at right tackle. Layden Robinson took over for Onwenu at right guard, while Sidy Sow remained at left guard and David Andrews centered the group.
Mayo liked how the line played with Robinson -- a fourth-round pick by New England back in April -- between two veterans in Ownenu and Andrews.
"Anytime you can sandwich a rookie between two veteran players, that's always going to be a benefit for the player and also the team," said Mayo. "We're still trying to figure out that combination, but I feel like we're getting pretty close."
The Patriots went with that starting combo again for Friday's walkthrough, and Maye got some snaps with that group.
Whichever combination lines up for the Patriots' first team, the group needs to do a lot better job at protecting the quarterback and giving them time to operate. And considering several snaps hit the turf last week, the second-string line needs to be much, much better than what we've seen this summer.
New England's Kicker Competition
While not as appealing as a QB competition, there's been a kicker competition in New England all summer. At the moment, it looks like it's trending toward Joey Slye kicking for the Patriots and second-year kicker Chad Ryland out of a job.
A fourth-round pick by Bill Belichick last year, Ryland has been getting out-kicked by the veteran Slye at practice and in preseason games. Slye has been handing field goal duties in the preseason games, going 3-for-3, while Ryland has only been taking extra-point kicks.
On Thursday, Slye connected on three of his four field-goal attempts at practice, while Ryland was three of five. This battle could come down to how each kicker looks in Sunday night's finale. May the best foot win.
After the Patriots wrap up their preseason against the Commanders on Sunday night, be sure to switch over to TV38 for full reaction and analysis on Patriots 5th Quarter!