New England Patriots: 3 things to watch for in preseason finale

The only thing standing between the New England Patriots and regular season football is tomorrow night’s preseason finale against the New York Giants. Once tomorrow’s game is wrapped up, and the final roster cuts are made by August 31st, the focus of the NFL world will shift to the games that actually matter.

Despite the Patriots stomping over their previous two opponents in preseason play, there is still a lot on the line for many of the players on the roster. Whether they are fighting for a roster spot or better standing on the depth chart, there is sure to be a lot of action to unpack from the final preseason game.

We have already seen some of the roster battles get won, such as J.J. Taylor forcing New England to trade Sony Michel away. We have also seen some get reignited, with the recent trade for Shaun Wade spicing up the cornerback battle in this upcoming game.

With that in mind, there is certainly a level of intrigue surrounding the Pats final preseason contest. There’s a good chance the results of this game, like all others, will have a major impact on how the final 53 man roster shakes out. Let’s take a look at the top three things to watch for in New England’s preseason finale against the Giants.

New England Patriots thing to watch No. 3: Who stands out on offense?

Throughout the Patriots first two preseason games, most of the offense’s production has come from their running back room. The performance’s of the previously aforementioned Taylor and Rhamondre Stevenson are a big reason Michel is on the west coast right now. Both guys should continue to get fed the rock in this one, and it’s reasonable to expect them to continue to produce.

In the passing game though, there haven’t really been any similar standout performances. Jakobi Meyers was probably the closest thing to one in last week’s action against the Philadelphia Eagles, but he only played in the first quarter. For a team looking for some production from their offensive skill players, it makes sense that all eyes will be on the pass catchers to see if anyone can stand out.

Many of the second unit guys are not only fighting for a roster spot at this point, but maybe even an increased role if they standout. Guys like Kristian Wilkerson, Isaiah Zuber, and Devin Asiasi have shown flashes of their potential throughout training camp, and now’s the time to finally put it all together. Asiasi is probably locked to make the roster at this point, but Wilkerson and Zuber may be fighting for the last wide receiver spot.

Even on the first team, there’s a battle for a bigger role. Meyers did his best to make a case for top wide receiver on the team last week against Philly, as nobody else from the first team has really shown out so far. Maybe that changes against New York, or maybe the first team barely plays.

Either way, we haven’t really gotten a chance to see what New England’s revamped offensive pass catchers will look like this upcoming season yet. There’s still a chance to make some noise in the position group, and a big performance from one of these guys could go a long way in securing a roster spot or a bigger role, making it something to definitely keep an eye on tomorrow night.