Still, Friday’s game produced several positives for the Patriots, as well as a few negatives.
▪ TreVeyon Henderson — wow. The second-round running back has stood out in training camp, too fast and shifty for linebackers to cover. After one preseason game he looks like a budding superstar. Henderson took the opening kickoff 100 yards for a touchdown and gained 30 yards on four touches, including an 18-yard run. He also lowered his shoulder a couple of times and ran through the defender.
No need to play him anymore — Henderson is going to be an important part of the Patriots’ passing game (and kickoff return), and the Patriots should save his hits for the regular season.
▪ Running back is deep. Their top four players impressed on Friday. Rhamondre Stevenson rushed for 36 yards and averaged 5.1 yards per carry. Antonio Gibson gained 37 yards on seven touches, and undrafted rookie Lan Larison gained 44 on nine touches. Gibson and Larison also finished off their runs with impressive physicality. The Patriots need to get multiple running backs on the field, as it is their deepest offensive skill position.
▪ Physical but disciplined play. Vrabel had to be pleased with his team’s effort and intensity. The running backs ran hard. Offensive lineman Will Campbell finished a block 8 yards down field. Receiver Efton Chism ran through an arm tackle.
And the Patriots only committed four penalties, two of which were accepted for 15 yards. Vrabel wasn’t happy, but the Patriots did far better than the Commanders, who had 13 for 98 yards (plus two offsetting) with all kinds of sloppy infractions.
▪ Great kickoff coverage. It’s going to be important this year now that the touchback has been moved to the 35. The Commanders returned all nine of the Patriots’ kickoffs on Friday. The Patriots stopped eight of them short of the 35 (the ninth was right at the 35), and six of them short of the 30.
▪ Javon Baker’s tackles. Baker went 0 for 2 in the passing game, but he made two impressive tackles, one on the opening kickoff and one on a punt return. The special teams plays, not necessarily his receiving stats, will help Baker make the 53-man roster. Veteran Kendrick Bourne, who didn’t play due to an ankle injury, seems in trouble.
▪ D.J. James. A member of the Patriots’ practice squad last season, James has made several plays in camp while subbing for injured starters Christian Gonzalez and Carlton Davis. Friday night he jumped a sideline pass for an interception and looks closer to making the squad.
▪ Efton Chism’s play strength. Vrabel said it “stood out to [him] from the sideline,” both in Chism’s ability to run through tacklers and for his blocking. Chism, an undrafted rookie from Eastern Washington, had 6 catches on 8 targets for 50 yards and a touchdown, though mostly against third stringers. At minimum he’s on the Patriots’ practice squad but still might have one more body to leapfrog to make the 53.
▪ The kickers. Andres Borregales, a fifth-round pick, and Parker Romo, a street free agent, are having a terrific camp. Borregales is the leader based on his draft status, but Romo is giving the coaches a lot to think about after nailing a 57-yarder on Friday.
▪ Drake Maye’s ball security. He should have just taken the sack in the first quarter, but he tried to make a play and had the ball slip out of his hands, recovered by the Commanders. Vrabel called him out on the WBZ halftime interview.
“We turned the ball over offensively – I think that’s a poor decision by our quarterback, and he knows that,” Vrabel said.
Maye led the NFL last year with six fumbles lost, and tied for fourth with 16 giveaways. It’s the No. 1 area he needs to clean up.
▪ Youth on the offensive line. The Patriots have two promising rookies on the left side — tackle Will Campbell and guard Jared Wilson — but their inexperience was on display Friday. They couldn’t handle a twist by two Commanders pass rushers, leading to a sack and Maye’s fumble. There are going to be a lot of “teachable moments” this year if the Patriots continue with two rookies on the left side.
▪ Cole Strange — showcase? He played a lot on Saturday, but the Patriots’ 2022 first-round pick still looks like he’s losing out on a roster spot. Strange was leapfrogged by Ben Brown as the backup center and played right guard on the second unit. The Patriots are probably hoping to get any sort of draft pick for Strange instead of having to cut him.
▪ Ja’Lynn Polk can’t stay healthy. Coming off offseason shoulder surgery, Polk touched the ball one time (an end-around for 1 yard), got tackled, and promptly went into the locker room to get his shoulder checked. Considering his poor rookie season and now his balky shoulder, Polk looks like he’s falling way behind Baker and Chism.
▪ Josh Dobbs. The Patriots’ new backup quarterback was erratic on Friday, missing several open receivers to finish 5 of 12 for 45 yards. Backup QB is an important position given Maye’s aggressive style, and Dobbs isn’t inspiring confidence yet.
▪ Third-team defense. The Patriots dominated the first half, but the Commanders finished stronger, gaining 197 yards and scoring 15 points after halftime. The Patriots’ third-team defense struggled to tackle, gave up a few big plays, and allowed an easy touchdown. These are the depth pieces that will make up the Patriots’ practice squad.
▪ The NFL’s new ball measuring technology. It took way too long to clear all the bodies out of the way so the cameras could get a clean look at the ball. We didn’t need technology to tell us the ball was 10 inches short of the first down line. And, by the way, the ball is still spotted by human referees, so the fancy new technology doesn’t address the main issue of subjective ball spotting.
Ben Volin can be reached at [email protected].
