The Patriots got their second consecutive win in the preseason with a 20-12 victory over the Vikings at U.S. Bank Stadium on Saturday afternoon.

For the first time since the 1997 season, New England played a preseason game during the day. The Pats also spent the last five days in Minnesota, where they had two joint practices with the Vikings earlier this week. Given the early kickoff and the long road trip, head coach Mike Vrabel's team could've had a low-energy effort on Saturday afternoon.

Instead, Vrabel's ability to build an identity of effort and finish continued to shine in Saturday's win. Although the Vikings didn't play their regulars, the Patriots still deserve credit for coming to play on a rare afternoon kickoff in the preseason. The win in the game wrapped up a productive week in Minnesota, where the Pats showed well in Wednesday's practice and then responded well to a shaky Thursday practice by competing in the preseason game.

Along with a blowout victory over the Commanders in their preseason opener, the first two exhibitions under Vrabel were a success. The team is starting to take on the DNA of their head coach, a high-energy, fiery competitor, and that's exactly how the Patriots are playing. Ultimately, these games don't count, but they're a step forward for Vrabel in terms of establishing a new winning culture in New England.

Here are eight takeaways from the Patriots preseason victory over the Vikings on Saturday.

1. Player of the Game: Undrafted Rookie WR Efton Chism III Goes Nuclear on TD Drive

There's always one darkhorse who bursts onto the scene during training camp to earn a roster spot, and undrafted rookie WR Efton Chism III is this summer's darling.

Chism's roster push is real. His practice performance, mainly with the second-string offense, is rapidly improving and translating to preseason games. The undrafted rookie was excellent in Thursday's joint practice, in particular, and then led the Patriots on a touchdown drive with four catches for 63 yards on the same series. Chism moved the chains three times on third down and hit a 33-yard explosive play, while breaking multiple tackles on his 12-yard touchdown catch-and-run. In all, Chism gained 37 of his 71 yards after the catch.

On his 12-yard touchdown catch, the Patriots ran shallow crossing routes called a "mesh" concept, the same play he scored on in the preseason opener. Chism uses the rub routes to get loose, and then shows excellent play strength and contact balance to break five tackles to reach the end zone. Earlier in the drive, Chism ran away from the coverage on an 11-yard catch to move the chains, which was good to see from a separation standpoint.

The only argument against Chism is that he's showing out vs. backups. That said, he looks like a starter playing against backups, so those first-team reps could be coming soon.

2. QB Drake Maye Plays Two Series, Drops Back Seven Times vs. Vikings (4-of-6, 46 Yards)

Like the first preseason game, the Patriots starting quarterback played two drives where he followed up a stalled opening drive with a 9-play, 52-yard touchdown drive to end his afternoon.

In his first series, a possibly too jacked-up Maye was high on his first two pass attempts. The second inaccurate throw intended for WR DeMario Douglas resulted in a turnover-worthy play. It's possible that Maye expected Douglas to continue upfield on his corner route, but from this vantage point, it appears that Douglas did the right thing by settling his route in a zone void, and Maye just threw it too high leading to a near-interception.

After a shaky start for Maye and the top offense, New England's starters settled down on their next possession. On possibly his cleanest drop-back so far this preseason, Maye connected with WR Mack Hollins for a 20-yard gain on third down. With the Vikings dropping into zone coverage with a four-man rush, Maye does well to stay patient and remain a passer behind initially solid protection, buying enough time for Hollins to uncover along the sideline. The three downfield routes and chip-releases by the back and tight end figure to be a prominent play design for OC Josh McDaniels on third down this season to help the offensive line.

The Patriots starting quarterback is still striving for a perfect start, but Maye settled down on his second drive and showed solid pocket presence.

3. Patriots "Searching" for Their Starting Five Along the Offensive Line

According to the game broadcast, Vrabel told Zo and the McCourty twins that the Patriots are still tinkering with their starting five along the offensive line. In Thursday's joint practice in Minnesota, the Pats elevated C/G Ben Brown to the top left guard spot in place of rookie Jared Wilson. Initially, whether that was a coach's decision or an injury situation was unclear. Based on the preseason game, where Brown started over Wilson, it appears that it was the former.

Starting OL: LT Campbell, LG Brown, C Bradbury, RG Onwenu, RT Bryant

Second-String OL: LT Bryant, LG Wilson, C Brown, RG Strange, RT Lowe

Third-String OL: LT Lowe, LG Wilson/Strange, C Strange/Wilson, RG Sow, RT Jacobs

Although it's disappointing that Wilson might've gotten demoted, the third-rounder has shown flashes of high-end talent. The one-year collegiate starter is still only 22 years old and has a bright future. In the meantime, the Vikings were able to knock the interior offensive line back a few too many times while Maye was under center, with questions at left guard and center in that regard. On a positive note, rookie LT Will Campbell had nice frontside zone blocks on two positive runs, including Henderson's touchdown, and was clean in pass protection.

As for Wilson, he repped at both left guard and center with the second-team offense. According to NextGen Stats, Wilson allowed one pressure while in the game. Another notable development was that rookie OT Marcus Bryant started at right tackle with veteran Morgan Moses sitting out the game, then repped at left tackle with the second unit. Bryant appears to be the top backup/swing tackle. Vederian Lowe, who is competing with Bryant, allowed three pressures at right tackle before flipping over to left tackle after halftime.

Whether it's in the starting lineup or as top backups, Brown and Bryant appear to have the inside track, while the left guard spot still doesn't feel settled with three weeks until Week 1.

4. What are the Futures for S Kyle Dugger and EDGE Anfernee Jennings?

At this point in the summer, it's always notable when veteran players who were previously starters play late into the second half. For the Patriots, those players are S Kyle Dugger and edge rusher Anfernee Jennings.

Earlier this week, Vrabel suggested that Dugger's fall down the depth chart was about mentally grasping the new defense scheme, while it's also possible that the coaching staff views Dugger and starter Jabrill Peppers as redundant box safeties. Instead, Dugger has been repping behind more pure free safety-types like Jaylinn Hawkins and rookie Craig Woodson, who are more comfortable playing deep zones. Dugger getting playtime into the fourth quarter was noteworthy, while Dugger likely should've gone down immediately on his game-ending interception.

As for Jennings, the veteran edge rusher isn't in this conversation due to performance. Jennings, who logged three sacks and four total pressures, doesn't appear to be a scheme fit in Vrabel's aggressive upfield defensive system. The most important traits in this defense for edge defenders are first-step explosiveness and bend, which is why a sturdy edge-setter like Jennings isn't as involved with the top unit. As his play on Saturady showed, Jennings is too good to be playing in the fourth quarter of a preseason game but his skillset might not be a scheme fit.

With cutdown day a week from Tuesday, it'll be interesting to see what the Patriots do with Dugger and Jennings, who might be starting-caliber players in a different defensive scheme.

5. RB TreVeyon Henderson Continues to Shine in Preseason Action

The Patriots second-round draft pick continues to shine with a superb week in practice, followed by a nifty 8-yard touchdown run on Saturday.

To this point, Henderson's game-breaking speed has mostly flashed on his 100-yard kickoff return touchdown and in the passing game, where he scored from ~65 yards out on a wheel route to put an exclamation point on Wednesday's joint practice vs. the Vikings. On Saturday, we got to see how Henderson's patience and burst can also impact the ground game.

On his 8-yard touchdown run, the Pats ran an outside zone scheme that the Vikings initially bottled up. However, Henderson remained patient behind his blocks, squeezed through a small crease, and hit the gas to burst into the end zone. Henderson's timing and acceleration to top gear were excellent, as was Campbell, who stayed on his block to pave the way.

Vikings defensive coordinator Brian Flores told the game broadcast that the Minnesota coaching staff was "blown away" by Henderson. The Pats might have a special talent in the rookie.

6. Other Notes on the Patriots Offense

• Backup QB Joshua Dobbs appeared to miss two throws to WR Javon Baker and led rookie WR Kyle Williams (left game) into a low hole/zone-dropper. Vrabel spoke about Dobbs needing to improve his ball placement earlier this week.
• WR Kyle Williams did not return after taking a high hit that appeared to be helmet-to-helmet but went uncalled. Williams had three catches for 24 yards before the injury and has been creating consistent separation this summer. Hopefully, he's ok.
• WR Mack Hollins (three catches, 38 yards) continues to be a featured piece for the Pats as a bigger "X" receiver who adds a larger catch radius and size as a run blocker.
• WR Javon Baker could've had more production with some help from Dobbs, but he also had a drop, false start and ran some inconsistent routes. It was a mixed bag for Baker.
• TE/FB Cole Fotheringham was the backup fullback to Jack Westover, who continues to rep with the first-team offense as a lead blocker and flex tight end.
• Although the tackle spots are solidifying themselves, the interior offensive line, from starters to backups, remains a question mark.

7. Other Notes on the Patriots Defense

• CB Alex Austin only gave up one catch on four targets on a pass in front of his zone, while he also had an interception and an excellent slot coverage rep. Austin's ability to play in the slot, where the Pats have said they want a bigger body type, is notable.
• EDGE Truman Jones continues to be noticeable in the preseason. Jones had three total pressures, and had a nice hurry as the boot/contain player to force an errant throw.
• EDGE K'Lavon Chaisson logged a pressure by running over the left tackle and did a nice job keeping QB Sam Howell to force Austin's interception. His strong summer continues.
• DT Isaiah Iton had a great run stuff before his injury. Iton is a darkhorse candidate to make the roster, so hopefully this injury doesn't keep him out of the final preseason week.

8. Special Teams Report: Kicking Competition, Marcus Jones's Big Return, Etc.

The Patriots kicking competition continued with rookie Andy Borregales getting 1-for-2 on field goals and 2-for-2 on extra points. Borregales made a 50-yarder but missed from 57 yards (might've been an operation issue), while Parker Romo was good from 28 yards on his lone attempt. Romo did have a kickoff that landed short of the landing zone, but it's unclear if they were trying something there with a squib kick.

Patriots punt returner Marcus Jones also reminded us of his talents with a 37-yard return on a well-blocked cutback scheme. Jones got a great block from RB JaMycal Hasty that sprung him for a big gain. To round it out, the Pats did surrender an 81-yard kickoff return, so it was a mixed bag on special teams.

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