The Patriots closed their preseason with a sloppy showing in Washington.
Jacoby Brissett (2-for-4, 19 yards) and Drake Maye (13-for-20, 126 yards) handled the first half, but New England’s offensive line was horrendous in front of them. With the Commanders resting their starters, the Patriots still lost 13-10 and were flagged for 18 penalties in the process. It was a JV showing.
Here are five takeaways from the preseason finale:
1. Offensive line a mess
David Andrews was given the evening off, but the rest of the presumed starters were slated to play the first half.
It didn’t go well.
Brissett was absolutely drilled on his lone drive, the result of Sidy Sow and Layden Robinson colliding and allowing KJ Henry to run free. With Drake Maye at the helm, there were two bad snaps, four illegal formation penalties — three of them on Chuks Okorafor — a false start, two holding calls, and Sow de-cleated the quarterback on one drop back. It was every bit as ugly as it sounds — and that was all just in the first half.
One of Okorafor’s illegal formation flags took a 48-yard touchdown pass from Maye to KJ Osborn off the board, and the Patriots wound up without points on the drive. Referee Shawn Hochuli actually said “once again” when making the third call on the veteran tackle. The offensive operation just looks like a total mess right now, and Sow wound up leaving with an ankle injury late in the second quarter.
2. Brissett gets banged up
Brissett only saw one series under center and injured his right shoulder on the Henry sack.
However, the veteran stayed in the game after the big hit and delivered a strike that Osborn dropped. Mayo had previously said he was only going to get a series or two, so it’s unclear whether the shoulder injury kept Brissett from coming out for a second series.
“He came to the sideline after the Patriots’ first drive, he was grimacing, grabbing that right shoulder,” NBC’s Melissa Stark said on the sideline. “He had a quick conversation with the head athletic trainer. No exam took place.”
3. Maye flashes his ceiling
Maye’s first series was a touchdown drive that showcased the rookie quarterback at his best. Faced with a 3rd-and-14 following a bad snap from Nick Leverett, Maye called his own number and scrambled for 17 yards. He converted another 3rd-and-8 — finding Pop Douglas for 16 yards — and capped the drive off with a bullet of a touchdown pass to Kevin Harris. His pocket mobility was particularly impressive.
However, the next three drives all ended in punts. The offensive line played a major role in that, but Maye missed a couple of throws, too. The quarterback should have thrown a touchdown pass during his final drive — a solid two-minute drill — but that was nullified by Okorafor, and Joey Slye wound up missing a 64-yard field goal.
4. Penalties a major concern
While officials are often flag-happy in the preseason, the Patriots couldn’t get out of their own way on Sunday night. Okorafor was obviously the face of the flags, but Mayo’s team finished with 18 penalties called on them. The Commanders declined eight, so the final tally in the box score was 10 for 157 yards.
5. No real measuring stick
The trend continued against the Patriots, as the Commanders rested 34 players, including Jayden Daniels, Terry McLaurin and Jonathan Allen. The Panthers rested their starters in New England’s first preseason game and Philadelphia did the same in the second.
The closest thing the Patriots got to a measuring stick this August was just a joint practice with the Eagles; they went the entire summer without playing an opponent’s starters in game action.
