The New England Patriots and Washington Commanders met on Sunday Night Football at FedEx Field, and although the Commanders didn’t play their starters, they still beat the Patriots 20-10.
New England hasn’t been very good in their first three exhibition games, losing two, and with the regular season starting in just two weeks, they’ll need to catch up quickly before taking the field against the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 1.
Now that the finale is behind us, let’s look at some of the things we learned from this poor effort.
Drake Maye is on the rise and might be the best option
Jacoby Brissett started and played the first series for the Patriots, but Drake Maye came in from there and played until halftime.
The veteran continued to be unimpressive, taking a sack that resulted in a shoulder injury. The rookie looked better, completing 13 of 20 attempts for 126 yards and a touchdown pass to running back Kevin Harris. Maye also showed off his skills, rushing three times for 17 yards.
Maye’s athleticism could be useful to New England, given that the blocking hasn’t been great. Even though his footwork isn’t the best, he can still escape and give the offense a chance to make something out of nothing.
The offensive line is in disarray and has shown a “lack of discipline”
Speaking of the big men up front, what a horrible game this group played. They started the game without David Andrews (rested) and Vederian Lowe (oblique), and they struggled mightily.
Backup center Nick Leverett had several poor exchanges with Maye under the center and was pushed back to the quarterback a couple of times. The line as a whole had 11 penalties called, and nine of those penalties came from potential starters.
Neither quarterback has much of a chance to succeed, with this group failing to protect them and holding them back on drives.
The depth of the backline has struggled
Once New England’s defensive starters were removed from the game, their defense began to slacken, with the unit allowing 17 unanswered points to end the game.
Trace McSorley continually targeted Marcellas Dial and Azizi Hearn, and the offense won most of those attempts. Dial and Hearn were both called for a pair of pass interference penalties, allowing Washington to move the ball effortlessly.
If the Patriots have injuries in the back end again, things could get ugly.
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