Patriots
There weren’t many bright spots, but Jeremiah Webb was one of them.
It got real ugly, real quick for the Patriots during New England’s preseason finale against the Giants at MetLife Stadium Thursday night.
New York marched 65 yards down the field and scored on their opening drive, while New England opened with back-to-back three and outs.
The Giants got uneven performances from Jaxon Dart and Jameis Winson, but were able to capitalize when it counted, going 3-for-4 in the redzone.
Tommy DeVito came in and carved up the Patriots’ defensive backups in the second half.
For the most part, the Patriots sat their starters. Neither Drake Maye nor Josh Dobbs played. None of their top three running backs got a touch. Jabrill Peppers and Keion White played a little more than expected in the first half, but most of the defensive starters sat too.
But, regardless of who was playing, New England dug itself into a 41-0 hole and found itself on the wrong side of a 42-10 shellacking.
Here’s who stood out and struggled in Thursday’s game.
Stock Up
RB Jeremiah Webb
Webb almost broke a kick return for a touchdown last week against the Vikings, and he followed up this week with a nifty 22-yard punt return.
He was also the only Patriot to catch a touchdown pass in this game, snagging a 10-yard touchdown on a well-placed fade from Ben Wooldridge. Webb’s defender didn’t even see the ball until it dropped over his head and into Webb’s hands.
Webb also got open on a comeback route and Wooldridge hit him for a 17-yard gain. He caught three of his four targets and finished with 31 yards.
S Kyle Dugger
Dugger’s name has reportedly been floated in trade rumors, and he was out there with the backups again tonight.
But, give him credit for making plays. He made it back-to-back games with an interception. It was a bad throw- Jameis Winston lobbed it right to him, but Dugger was at the right place at the right time.
He was flying around making plays. He broke up a pair of passes and made six tackles, which was second on the team.
RB Shane Watts
There wasn’t much to like from the Patriots’ offense, which was held to 191 total yards, but they got a little more than quarter of that yardage from Watts who looked the best out of the running backs they played.
New England signed Watts last week, and he ran hard behind a struggling offensive line. He finished with 51 yards on 14 carries.
Stock Flat
QB Ben Wooldridge
Wooldridge went the distance with Maye and Dobbs out. His performance was pretty much the definition of flat.
He went 10-for-20 for 82 yards, chipping away at the short game. He made one really nice throw to Webb for a touchdown, and he made one awful one that he threw right to New York’s TJ Moore, who ran the interception back for a touchdown.
There was some good, some bad, but the performance was mostly unremarkable.
Stock Down
WR Javon Baker
Baker was unable to haul in either of his targets.
One of them was a drop that he was responsible for, the other one he appeared to be open on a slant but Wooldridge’s throw was a little behind him.
On top of a catchless night, Baker was whistled for a penalty on special teams. He finished with two catches for 13 yards in three preseason games.
K Andy Borregales
Borregales was the only Patriots kicker who played tonight, as Parker Romo got the night off.
Romo nailed a 57-yarder last week, putting some distance between him and Borregales in the kicker competition.
The sixth-round pick didn’t help his case Thursday night, missing a 49-yard field-goal. He made a 30-yarder, making him 1-for-2 on the night.
CB Kobee Minor
Rough night for Mr. Irrelevant.
Jalin Hyatt beat Minor 1 on 1 for a touchdown. Former Patriot Gunner Olzsewski snagged a catch for a big gain with Minor in coverage.
The seventh-round rookie also dropped an potential interception at the end of the game.
He made three tackles, but the coverage left something to be desired.
TE Jaheim Bell
Bell had zero catches on two targets, and the pass Wooldridge threw for the pick-6 was intended for him.
Jack Westover was the more productive tight-end Thursday night, despite having just one catch for five yards.
New England has Hunter Henry and Austin Hooper at the top of their tight-end depth chart, but they didn’t see much out of either Westover or Bell in terms as. a breakout performance among those competing for the third tight-end spot.
C Cole Strange
A botched snap and a holding penalty made Strange stand out in a bad way.
He was playing center, and his natural position in the league is guard, but Thursday was another performance marked by struggle.
He wasn’t the only former first-round pick who struggled Thursday. New York’s Evan Neal also had a rough night.
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