Bill Belichick chose to use Friday night’s third and final 2023 preseason game in Tennessee as more of a final fight for roster spots than a regular season tune-up. As such Mac Jones and most of the more experienced players on both sides of the ball watched from the sideline as the Titans defeated the Patriots 23-7.
Plenty of New England players in all three phases of the game made impressions – both positive and negative – as summer came to an end and with the NFL mandated cuts down to a 53-man roster on the horizon.
Before turning the attention to those roster moves and cutdowns, here’s a look at some of the personnel highs and lows for the Patriots in the losing effort on this hot night in Nashville.
Thumbs up
Marte Mapu – The rookie third-round pick started in his first NFL action and was rather active. Showing his versatility, he was physical at the line of scrimmage as a linebacker against the run. He was also effective in coverage converging on the ball. There will obviously be a developmental aspect to Mapu’s game, but he showed in Tennessee the type of physical, athletic potential he has as a linebacker/safety hybrid.
Calvin Munson – The veteran linebacker had a tackle for a loss in the red zone in the first quarter when he shot a gap to take down the Titans’ ball carrier. Later, he was in position to pick off a deflected pass, showing nice hands on the effort. Munson is a potential special teams core player who displayed some backup upside on defense in this one as he tries to sneak onto the back end of the roster. He finished with a game-high 10 tackles.
Sam Roberts – The young defensive lineman was active throughout his reps, looking like a guy fighting for a roster spot. Roberts had a tackle for a loss on the first snap of the game. He then made a couple nice effort motor plays chasing down Titans from behind. A week after a bad penalty and look in Green Bay, Roberts put on a much better showing to try to stick around, including a sack among his seven tackles.
Ronnie Perkins – The former third-round pick who missed the last two years on IR put the best performance of his young career on the field in Tennessee. Perkins was very active off the edge against both the run and the pass. He had the most memorable highlights of the night when he threw up at the snap in the second quarter but actually made the tackle afterwards.
At a key point in his young career, Perkins laid it all on the line with nine tackles.
Thumbs down
Bailey Zappe – New England’s second-year backup QB got the start in Tennessee but never really looked comfortable on the field. He was under pressure at times and got skittish, including when he got loose with the football on a first-quarter lost fumble. After giving way to Trace McSorley in the second quarter, Zappe returned to the field in the third and then into the closing minutes of the fourth quarter. He fumbled two more times in the second half. Never was he able to put much together, finishing completing 8 of 15 passes for just 57 yards. He also drew the ire of offensive coordinator Bill O’Brien in the second half on the sideline.
Offensive line – With the limited healthy starters watching from the bench, New England opened with Andrew Stueber, Chasen Hines, Jake Andrews, Riley Reiff and Sidy Sow. Bailey Zappe was under pressure early. Kevin Harris couldn’t find much room to run other than an easy short TD after a turnover. Then veteran Reiff left the game with a leg injury in the first half. The offensive line is a mess in terms of health and continues to be a mess in terms of performance.
Jack Jones – Projecting as one of the starting corners this season, Jones was supposed to be one of the better player on the field early in Tennessee. He was not. The second-year cover man got nabbed for an early pass interference call down the field. Then he got stiff-armed to the turf by running back Tyjae Spears on a 19-yard run. Later Jones was lost overrunning the play in the wrong direction on a Julius Chestnutt 23-yard run and was beaten for a 30-yard completion in the second quarter. Not a good night for the guy who’s supposed to be the Patriots No. 2 corner, at worst, in his second season.
