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Five takeaways from Patriots 42-10 preseason loss to the Giants
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Mike Vrabel responds to report about Kyle Dugger, Anfernee Jennings being on the trade block
During Thursday night’s New England preseason finale versus the Giants at MetLife Stadium, things quickly became ugly for the Patriots.
New England began with consecutive three-and-outs, but New York marched 65 yards down the field and scored on their first drive.
Although Jameis Winson and Jaxon Dart had erratic games, the Giants were able to capitalize when it mattered, going 3-for-4 in the red zone.
In the second half, Tommy DeVito entered the game and decimated the Patriots’ defensive backups.
The Patriots sat their starters for the most part. Josh Dobbs and Drake Maye did not perform. Their three best running backs were not touched. In the first half, Keion White and Jabrill Peppers played a bit more than anticipated, but the most of the defensive starters also sat.
However, regardless of who was playing, New England ended up suffering a 42-10 thrashing and going into a 41-0 hole.
These are the players who stood out and had difficulty throughout Thursday’s game.
Stock Up
RB Jeremiah Webb
Last week against the Vikings, Webb nearly broke a kick return for a touchdown. This week, he backed it up with a clever punt return that was 22 yards long.
He also caught a 10-yard touchdown on a well-placed fade from Ben Wooldridge, making him the only Patriot to grab a touchdown pass in this game. The ball fell over Webb’s head and into his hands before his defender even saw it.
Wooldridge struck Webb for a 17-yard gain when he got open on a comeback route. He finished with 31 yards after catching three of his four targets.
S. Kyle Dugger
According to reports, Dugger’s name has been mentioned in trade rumors, and tonight he was out there with the backups once more.
Give him credit, though, for creating plays. His interception made it back-to-back games. Dugger was in the right location at the right time, but it was a poor throw—James Winston threw it straight at him.
He was making moves while flying about. He had six tackles, second on the team, and broke up two passes.
RB Shane Watts
The Patriots’ attack, which was limited to 191 total yards, didn’t have much to offer, but Watts, who appeared to be the best running back they faced, contributed slightly more than 25% of that total.
Watts, who was signed by New England last week, performed admirably behind an offensive line that was having trouble. After 14 carries, he finished with 51 yards.
Stock Flat
QB Ben Wooldridge
Maye and Dobbs were out, while Wooldridge stayed. He gave a performance that was essentially flat.
He continued to chip away at the short game, going 10-for-20 for 82 yards. He threw one terrible pass to TJ Moore of New York, who ran the interception back for a touchdown, and one really excellent one to Webb for a touchdown.
While there were some positive aspects and some negative ones, the performance was largely unimpressive.
Stock Down
WR Javon Baker
Neither of his targets could be brought in by Baker.
He was in charge of one of them, a drop; in the other, he seemed to be open on a slant, but Wooldridge’s throw was somewhat behind him.
Baker was flagged for a penalty on special teams after a catchless night. In three preseason games, he ended with two catches for 13 yards.
K Andy Borregales
Parker Romo was off tonight, so Borregales was the only Patriots kicker that played.
Last week, Romo put some distance between himself and Borregales in the kicker duel with a flawless 57-yarder.
The sixth-round selection missed a 49-yard field goal Thursday night, which hurt his case. He went 1-for-2 for the evening with a 30-yarder.
CB Kobee Minor
Mr. Irrelevant had a difficult evening.
For a touchdown, Jalin Hyatt outran Minor 1 on 1. With Minor in coverage, former Patriot Gunner Olzsewski made a catch for a significant gain.
At the end of the game, the rookie selected in the seventh round also failed to make an interception.
Although he made three tackles, the coverage was lacking.
TE Jaheim Bell
The pass Wooldridge threw on the pick-6 was meant for Bell, who had zero catches on two targets.
Even though he only had one catch for five yards on Thursday night, tight end Jack Westover was more effective.
Hunter Henry and Austin Hooper are at the top of New England’s tight-end depth chart, but neither Bell nor Westover stood out as the standout performers among those vying for the third tight-end spot.
C Cole Strange
Strange stood out negatively due to a holding penalty and a poorly executed snap.
He was playing center, even though guard is his natural position in the NBA, but Thursday’s performance was also difficult.
On Thursday, he wasn’t the only former first-round choice who had trouble. Evan Neal of New York likewise had a difficult evening.
Boston.com’s Khari Thompson reports on professional sports. Khari worked as a college football reporter for The Clarion Ledger in Jackson, Mississippi, prior to joining the team in 2022.
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