What happened in the New England Patriots’ preseason finale against the Washington Commanders? Here’s everything I think you should know. FINAL SCORE: Commanders 20 – Patriots 10
— Remember Trace McSorley? This time last year, he was on the Patriots roster before being cut at the end of training camp on Aug. 28. Well, he’s come back to haunt New England by leading his new team to a fourth-quarter comeback in the preseason.
— McSorley had a heck of a game, coming in for the second half after Jeff Driskel handled the first half. He finished the game 12-of-21 passing for 125 yards and a touchdown. He was also Washington’s leading rusher, running the ball four times for 40 yards.
— This comes after McSorley was buried on the Patriots depth chart behind Mac Jones and Bailey Zappe last preseason. He didn’t get much of a chance in the 2023 preseason. He went 1-for-3 for 4 yards and took a sack in the first game. He then went 0-for-1 and took a sack in the third game.
— McSorley was way better for Washington. He led the Commanders on back-to-back touchdown drives to take the lead in the fourth quarter, including a touchdown pass to Martavis Bryant in the closing minutes.
— Perhaps the biggest highlight for McSorley was him lowering the shoulder on Patriots cornerback Azizi Hearn as he went to the sideline, generating a big pop from his Washington teammates.
— Hearn had a tough day at the office. Not only did he get blasted by a quarterback, he was hit with two pass-interference penalties on the same drive.
— Will McSorley make the roster in Washington? It’ll be tough. But he’s making a case. He’s an intriguing candidate as a third quarterback or practice squad player
— It’s also entirely possible McSorley gets cut tomorrow or Tuesday. Even if that happens, he’ll go out after showing up his old team.
— That’s enough Trace McSorley talk. Let’s talk Patriots backup quarterbacks.
— In the first half, we saw Jacoby Brissett get hurt while Drake Maye showed flashes of brilliance (even while losing a shoe). In the second half, Joe Milton III came in and showcased his skills.
— Sunday’s performance more or less summed up Milton’s game. He has an absolute cannon for an arm. But he’s inconsistent as a passer.
— Milton showed that on his first dropback of the second half, launching the ball with ease down the sideline — only for it to get picked off. Fortunately for the Patriots, the throw was wiped out by a penalty.
— Milton is a strong runner as well, taking off on a nice 20-yard gain. He also did a good job avoiding any big hits, which is a positive development after some major contact against the Eagles last time out.
— Milton has so much raw physical talent. But it’s pretty clear he has some work to do in the finer points of the game. That was on display when he tried to hit running back Deshaun Fenwick out of the backfield. A nice throw with touch would have gotten Fenwick the ball in position to score. Instead, the throw was a laser that went off Fenwick’s hands. Should the running back have caught it? Sure. But Milton could have done more to set up the receiver for success.
— NBC broadcaster Cris Collinsworth says that Milton told him he can throw a football from the goal line to the opposing 5-yard line — 95 yards in the air. Collinsworth said Milton wants to get that up to 100 yards next year.
— Hey, the new guy made a play. A few days after he was picked up off of waivers from the Browns, wide receiver Matt Landers had a nice catch and run in the fourth quarter.
— It was a nifty play on both sides, Milton stood in the pocket and was hit as he threw. Milton still managed to fire a laser to Landers, who took off for a 34-yard gain.
— Terrell Jennings showing some power on some runs in the second half. An undrafted rookie out of Florida A&M, he could be an intriguing candidate for the practice squad.
— Bad news for the offensive line: Sidy Sow left the game with an injury and was ruled out.
— Former Patriots captain Devin McCourty spoke with the NBC broadcast and discussed the ongoing Patriots battle. McCourty said he thinks it’s “still Jacoby’s job.” McCourty mentioned the vanilla defenses that are played in the preseason as a major factor in him wanting to see Brissett start come the regular season.
— Isaiah Bolden had a couple of nice breakups. He almost had a pick at the start of the second half. He followed that up with a nice breakup in the red zone.
— It’s good to see Bolden back on the field and making plays. Bolden missed his rookie season last year after suffering a scary head injury that ultimately forced the Patriots’ second preseason game to end early.
— Bailey Zappe gets mop-up duty again. The third-year quarterback came in with about three minutes left in the game.
— New England didn’t seem overly interested in having Zappe lead a miraculous comeback in the closing minutes. Zappe only attempted one pass, which fell incomplete.
