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.
New England Patriots thing to watch No. 2: Who stands out at corner?
The cornerback competition quickly became one of the more interesting stories of this game when the Pats swung a trade for Shaun Wade with the Baltimore Ravens. New England’s cornerback room has been a hot topic all offseason long, especially considering Stephon Gilmore’s contract situation is still unresolved, but the addition of Wade certainly put an emphasis on the position coming into this game.
Looking at the group, J.C. Jackson, Jonathan Jones, and Jalen Mills are all locks to make the roster. But Mills has been inconsistent at times throughout camp, which is expected considering he’s been playing all over the place in a new defensive scheme. And Jones has dealt with various injuries throughout camp; he picked up another one just hours before the team traded for Wade, but it sounds like they dodged a bullet there.
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Afterwards, the depth is perilously thin. Adding Gilmore back would certainly help, but the team can’t count on his situation getting settled at this stage in the game. There’s a spot or two at the cornerback position there for the taking, the question is who is going to grab it.
The addition of Wade makes the situation much more interesting. For most of camp it has seemed like Joejuan Williams has had an inside track to breaking the roster again, but Wade’s arrival potentially throws that in doubt. This is set to be Williams third season in the NFL, but the former second round pick has failed to make his mark on the team yet, making it possible the team moves on from him.
That opens a door for guys like Wade, Dee Virgin, Myles Bryant, D’Angelo Ross, and Michael Jackson Sr. The fact that all these guys have stuck around this far shows just how open this competition is. No one has been awful, but nobody has stood out either to put things to bed either.
Simply put, watching these guys compete for the final couple roster spots in the secondary is going to be one of the more compelling parts of this preseason game. Maybe Gilmore returns and deems it somewhat irrelevant, but even if he returns there’s a good shot at least one of those guys cracks the final roster. Don’t be surprised to see this game play a major part in how the final cornerback depth chart shakes out for the Pats.
New England Patriots thing to watch No. 1: Who’s getting snaps at QB?
The quarterback discussion has been the hottest topic all offseason long for the Patriots, so why would it be any different in the preseason finale? Cam Newton seemingly put things to rest with a dominant performance against the Eagles last week, but was promptly forced to miss five days of practice due to a COVID “misunderstanding”. That led to Mac Jones getting an extended look with the first team, and he looked fantastic for the most part, reopening the quarterback competition in the process.
Now it all boils down to the final preseason game. Newton returned to practice Thursday and reclaimed his role as leader of the first team offense, implying that nothing has changed despite Jones standout effort in practice during his absence. But reports began trickling out of the Patriots camp that Newton’s COVID issues drew the ire of the coaching staff, and they obviously watched Jones pick the Giants defense apart in joint practices this past week.
That’s why even though things still seem to point to Newton for the time being, the quarterback competition is the top thing to watch in tomorrow night’s preseason finale. Jones has essentially reduced the gap between himself and Newton to nothing, and if he balls out while Newton struggles, there’s a good shot he finds himself under center come Week 1.
This may all be pure speculation, as no one knows how the quarterbacks will be used tomorrow night. So far in both games, Newton has gotten the first quarter, Jones has gotten the second and third, and third stringer Brian Hoyer has gotten the fourth. Maybe that sticks, or maybe head coach Bill Belichick decides to switch things.
In previous seasons, the Pats would typically use the third preseason game as a dress rehearsal of sorts, and let this first team units play the first half of the game. That was when there were four preseason games however, and it remains to be seen what the plan of attack will be for what is now the third and final game of preseason action.
Whichever way it goes, the Patriots quarterback situation will again be the most interesting storyline of the preseason finale. The only way it would become uninteresting is if Hoyer is told to play the entire game, which just isn’t going to happen. Each preseason game has shown us something new in regards to the quarterback competition, and this game should be no different.