The New England Patriots play their 2nd preseason game on Thursday. You are going to want to keep an eye on these 3 players.
We have made it to week 2 of the preseason. New England Patriots fans got their first taste of football in a long time as the Pats defeated the Washington Redskins 26-17 last week.
Even though the Patriots got the win, it wasn’t a great night for New England. The offense struggled to gain momentum and the defense still had issues tackling. Hopefully, the Patriots will improve on both sides of the ball.
There are definitely some players who stood out in the first preseason game who will be looking to maintain the momentum they have built. Some players will be hoping they could forget how they performed.
More from Chowder and Champions
- 3 Midseason Chaim Bloom Decisions That Have Killed the 2023 Red Sox
- 10 Patriots Who Will Be Cut by Tuesday’s Roster Deadline
- MLB Screws Red Sox Fans With Broadcast for Mookie Betts Return
- 3 Most Underpaid Celtics Heading Into the 2023 Season
- Red Sox Continue Rollercoaster Season With Massive Win
So here are 3 players to watch on Thursday when the Patriots take on the Philadelphia Eagles.
Phillip Dorsett
Phillip Dorsett didn’t have a great outing in the Patriots first preseason game. He was targeted twice and was unable to reel in a catch.
Things didn’t get better for Dorsett this week, because the speedy wide receiver ended up suffering a knee injury during practice. Dorsett seems to be fine but it will be interesting to see how he performs on Thursday.
The Patriots are expecting a lot out of Dorsett. He is slated to have an expanded role this season with Julian Edelman out for the first 4 games.
If the Patriots are going to put their trust in Dorsett they need him to show he has the ability to be relied upon. Even though he isn’t playing a lot he needs to at least have a catch. He needs to start getting into a rhythm with Tom Brady and prove he is more than just a fast human being.
Hopefully, Dorsett and the Patriots will have a much better outing this week.
JC Jackson
JC Jackson was the star of practice this week. When you pick off Tom Brady you are bound to get some good publicity.
Jackson is coming off a solid game against the Redskins. He racked up 3 tackles and was serviceable in coverage. The undrafted corner is making waves so far while with New England.
There are a lot of great young corners fighting for a roster spot. Jackson will have to compete against Duke Dawson and Keion Crossen who also had some decent games.
If Jackson wants to prove he should make the roster he needs to start showing he is a superior talent against opposing teams bottom guys. We saw the Patriots defense struggle to make tackles last season so his 3 tackles are a solid sign, but you hope to see Jackson challenged and see how he defends passes and maybe even get an interception.
If you can pick off a pass from Tom Brady I’m sure any other quarterback is a piece of cake.
Ralph Webb
Ralph Webb was far and away the star of the New England Patriots first preseason game. He shocked fans by having 14 carries for 46 yards and 2 touchdowns.
Mike Gillislee continued to struggle running the ball and Jeremy Hill was the only other running back to have any sort of success. If Webb can continue to perform well he may find a spot on the Patriots final roster.
It will be interesting to see if the Patriots give Webb more playing time or even get him some first-team reps early on in the game. The Patriots have used a running back by committee approach before so it isn’t an insane idea to see what Webb can do with the starters.
Overall this should be an interesting game. The Patriots get to go up against the team who beat them in the Super Bowl last season and fans can tell Lane Johnson how they feel about his comments.
An honorable mention to this list is Tom Brady. I’m interested to see how Brady and the starters perform especially since the offense struggled last week. Hopefully, they will show why they are in fact the starters.