The New England Patriots were handed their first loss of the preseason on Thursday, as the Philadelphia Eagles defeated them 14-13 at Gillette Stadium.
Jerod Mayo’s team clearly still has a lot to work on before they’re ready to compete in the regular season, as even their starters struggled with the Eagles’ backups.
As we continue to work our way through this game, let’s look at some players who deserve credit for their performances and some who need to stay late after practice.
WINNER: WR Kayshon Boutte
The second-year wideout made a few plays in the preseason opener against Carolina, including an impressive 28-yard catch and run to lead the team in receiving yards.
He led the team in receiving yards again against the Eagles, bringing in three of his four targets for 23 yards. That included an incredible one-handed snag to bail Drake Maye out on a high throw.
Bad throw by Maye, unreal catch by Kayshon Boutte pic.twitter.com/3N3y5v2SRU
— Ben Brown 🌻 (@BenBrownPL) August 15, 2024
LOSER: VP of Player Personnel Eliot Wolf
New England entered the offseason with a ton of cap space and a fair amount of draft capital. With less than a month to go until the season, they still have nearly $ 51 million to work with, and they don’t appear to have enough talent on the roster.
Completing a full game where the offense passes for less than 100 yards is unacceptable, even in the preseason, and it’s clear right now that Wolf should’ve done more to sure up the offensive line and surround the quarterbacks with weapons.
WINNER: DE Keion White
New England sent Matthew Judon to the Atlanta Falcons earlier in the week, so they’ll need someone else to step up on the edge this season.
White answered the call against the Eagles. He recorded just one sack in his 21 defensive snaps, but he was causing issues for Philadelphia’s offensive line.
If he can do that in the regular season, the front seven shouldn’t miss a beat without Judon.
LOSER: OT Vederian Lowe
Lowe started at left tackle just as he’s done recently in training camp, but he didn’t look good. He allowed pressure and a sack and was also called for the team’s lone penalty of the day (a false start).
Things don’t look good on the left side and no quarterback should feel safe with Lowe there.
WINNER: LB Raekwon McMillan
McMillan has missed two of the last three seasons due to injuries, but he was a force on Thursday. He played the second-most defensive snaps (32) of anyone on the team and led the group in tackles (nine). He may be earning himself a spot in a crowded room.
WINNER: K Joey Slye
The kicking competition continues between Slye and Chad Ryland. Slye made his two field goal attempts – one from 51 yards and another from 45. Ryland made the team’s lone extra point attempt.
The 28-year-old probably has the advantage at this point.
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