FOXBORO — The New England Patriots are playing a football game tonight. It’s not a “real” football game, as it’s just the team’s preseason opener, but Thursday night’s game against the Panthers is sure to grab our attention.
This is our first look at Jerod Mayo’s Patriots in a game setting. We will see rookie Drake May his first NFL-level game footage. We’ll take a look at the two rookie receivers who made waves in training camp, and we’ll see for ourselves what the offensive line looks like.
We will also see a very boring defense from New England (they save the good stuff for the regular season, you know), but should they be on the field, heavyweights like Kyle Dugger, Jabrill peppersAnd Keion White will finally be able to land some punches on someone who isn’t a teammate.
Mayo himself is preparing for his first warm-up as an NFL head coach.
“I’m excited. I’m excited to be on the sidelines and, frankly, I’m excited for the players to go out there and perform well,” Mayo, 38, said this week. “That’s the main thing.”
While the final score doesn’t matter much, tonight’s 60 minutes of football are incredibly important to the majority of New England’s squad. Here’s what we’ll be looking for when the Pats and Panthers face off at Gillette Stadium.
Drake Maye as quarterback
Mayo said Tuesday that the plan is to use all four quarterbacks, with experienced Jacoby Brissett is expected to start. That’s the plan for the start of the current season, so no surprise.
We’ll see how much Brissett plays and how he gets Alex Van Pelt’s offense going, but everyone will be waiting for Brissett to get his one or two series over with and make room for the rookie.
All eyes will be on Maye if he is drafted, as a lot will be riding on the third pick’s development. We’ll be seeing the 21-year-old in action for the first time, and he’s coming off a really solid training camp.
Maye has been praised for his quick reads and his ability to throw to receivers. Now we’ll see if that translates to a real defense. He’s been particularly successful in 7-on-7 games, but has struggled when the offensive and defensive lines have entered the fray. He needs to change that quickly.
Maye has been playing with the team’s second team in training camp and will likely continue that on Thursday. It would be nice to see him play with the top team, but that could be another week or two away – if it happens at all. We’ll be watching Maye’s play this preseason with interest, as it could be a while before we see him again.
After Maye, the eyes are opened Joe Milton IIIand everyone is excited to see the sixth-round pick get his chance to prove himself. He has a monster arm and will have a chance to make a name for himself in the preseason while battling Bailey Zappe for the third QB spot in the rankings.
Pats fans have probably seen enough of Zappe over the past two years, but he is fighting for his job. He will also put himself in the spotlight for a potential trade or his next opportunity should he not make the New England roster.
New England’s offensive line
The biggest concern for the New England Patriots is once again the state of the offensive line. Many people are worried about the well-being of a quarterback who is currently taking the field for the Patriots.
It will be interesting to see which group Mayo and OL coach Scott Peters send onto the field and which groupings they then use during the course of the game. Rookie Caedan Wallace was set up as left tackle in training, but Vederian Lowe experienced a surprise on Monday and Tuesday. Calvin Anderson And Chukwuma Okorafor swapped the duties of right tackle, while Sidy Sow And Mike Onwenu were on the two guard positions next to center David Andrews.
Andrews has been with Sow and Onwenu by his side all camp, so the middle of the line seems to be set. The tackles are the real spots to watch, as almost everyone at the end of the line is a big question mark.
We’ll see when and where Wallace (a third-round pick from Penn State) makes his debut on Thursday and what that means for the rest of the line. But we won’t just be keeping an eye on the starters.
The Patriots need to build their depth along the line, so it will be an important night for every lineman. Lowe and Guards Layden Robinson And Michael Jordan have the opportunity to consolidate their place in the rankings. Nick Leverett was solid as the team’s backup center behind Andrews, while Atonio Mafi had difficulty transitioning from guard to center.
We’ve heard from New England’s defensive players that the offensive line has been much more aggressive in their contests, and we’ll look to see that on the field Thursday night against the Panthers.
Patriots rookie receiver
We have heard from Ja’Lynn Polk And Javon Baker They’ve made some great catches in practice and we’ve even seen a few on social media. Now let’s see what the rookies can do against an opposing defense.
The scouting report on Polk says he catches pretty much anything he can get his hands on. Baker is a guy who can get out there and catch contested balls in the huddle and really give the defense something to think about every time the ball is snapped.
They both still have a long way to go, but we will see them take off from the starting line on Thursday night.
Patriots receivers fight for a job
Polk, Baker, Demario DouglasAnd Kendrick Bourne (currently on PUP) are apparently safe in the squad. New signing outside the season KJ Osborn is probably also in this group.
But there are a lot of receivers fighting for a spot on the squad, including an experienced Juju Smith-Schuster, Tyquan Thornton, Kayshon BoutteAnd Jalen Reagor.
Reagor has a nice head start as he can make the team as a returnee. The rest of this group will have to really step up this preseason to make the team.
Smith-Schuster says he’s healthy after a disappointing first season in New England. But he hasn’t done much in training camp and hasn’t moved well. He looks more like a 37-year-old receiver than a 27-year-old receiver.
Thornton was a second-round pick three years ago, but his first two seasons were derailed by injuries. He had a pretty good training camp, but he still has a lot to show in the next three weeks.
“For two years I basically did nothing,” Thornton said Tuesday. “So in the third year I definitely want to come here and prove that I’m right.”
Boutte has been solid in practice the last few days and on Tuesday he caught a nice touchdown from Maye over corner Alex Austin. Now he needs to show that in a game after having just two catches as a rookie last season.
A good game on Thursday won’t guarantee either of them a place in the squad, but it would certainly help their cause.
Defensive game changer?
There are no major concerns about New England’s defense, which should once again be a solid unit. Perhaps we will see some of the defense’s game-winning players play against the Panthers.
Matthew Judon has made a significant difference to the Patriots’ defense, but isn’t very happy with the team. We probably won’t see him Thursday night, although he has said he would play — just not practice — under his current contract. So we’ll see.
We may not see much of him, but it will be nice to see the top corner Christian Gonzalez in action after his rookie season was cut short by a torn labrum and a dislocated shoulder. He started training camp strong, but things have been up and down lately, so maybe some real competition will do him good.
And when it comes to Keion WhiteLet’s see the big guy land one of those bone-crushing punches. That’s a sure sign that football is indeed back, even if it’s just the preseason version.
Tune in Thursday night for the season opener between the Patriots and Panthers on WBZ-TV – the television home of the New England Patriots. Pregame coverage begins at 6:30 p.m. with a special edition of Patriots GameDay, followed by Patriots-Panthers at 7 p.m., and after the game we’ll wrap up with Patriots 5th Quarter!