After two joint sessions against the Eagles this week, the two teams will meet again for preseason game No. 2 Thursday night in Philadelphia.
The teams had an intense session Monday that was dialed back a bit on Tuesday, as the practice only lasted just under an hour and a half.
With such a competitive roster and cuts looming, this is another big opportunity for some Patriots players to prove they are deserving of sticking around. It’s also a chance for other players to show they should get significant playing time come the regular season.
Here are five things we’ll be watching Thursday night.
1. Playing time for starters
Since there are only three preseason games this year, we can’t really go off of what’s happened in past years. In the past we’d expect the starters to play very little in the second preseason game coming off a week of joint practices, but it’s worth noting Tuesday’s shorter session and also there only being one preseason game left after Thursday. It wouldn’t be a surprise to see the starters get significant playing time (at least a quarter) and then also play a good amount in the third and final preseason game since there’s two full weeks before the first regular-season game. But, if there was a preseason game for the starters to play the most it would be this one and maybe that was why the joint practices weren’t super intense like in the past.
2. How are the quarterback reps are split?
Last week, Cam Newton started and played the first two series and then Mac Jones came in and played the next five, which lasted well into the second half. We’d expect Newton to play a little bit more in this one and perhaps Jones the same amount as last week. It wouldn’t be a total shock to see Newton and Jones play the whole game with Brian Hoyer getting the night off. It will be worth watching how many reps Jones gets with the first team, as that could be an indication of how likely it is he will start come Week 1.
3. Who can step up at wide receiver?
This position has been underwhelming this summer, especially in last week’s preseason opener. Nelson Agholor didn’t play, so we’d like to see what he can do in live game action. N’Keal Harry still hasn’t done anything besides in 1-on-1 drills and Kristian Wilkerson has dropped off in recent days. Although Kendrick Bourne said the plan is for Jakobi Meyers, Agholor and himself to be the top three receivers come Week 1, anything can happen and roster spots still feel up for grabs. These next few weeks will be big for this position.
4. Defensive bubble players
This defense has the chance to be one of the better units in the NFL, so there’s the potential for some good players to be cut. We’ll be keeping close tabs on the defensive line and edge rushers to see how the reps are split and who is playing with who. Names to monitor are Chase Winovich, Tashawn Bower, Henry Anderson, Akeem Spence and Montravius Adams. The cornerback position is another one to pay attention to, especially with Stephon Gilmore still not getting on the field. Jalen Mills has struggled to this point and then Joejuan Williams recorded an interception last week, but it came in the middle of the fourth quarter when the starters had been out of the game for quite some time.
5. Special teams
While it’s just the preseason, who plays on the first special teams units could offer clues to who has the inside track on a roster spot. Pay attention who is out there early in the game on kickoff, kick return, punt and punt return. Playing on multiple of these units is definitely a good thing. The kicking competition is also still on-going as Nick Folk still hasn’t returned and undrafted rookie Quinn Nordin continues to show off his big leg.