Foxboro, MA – After the night began with immortalizing a legend in Tom Brady, the Patriots opened the preseason with a 48-18 victory over the Commanders at Gillette Stadium on Friday night.
Although the games don't count yet, the head coach Mike Vrabel era is off to an impressive start in its first taste of real competition. Going back to Wednesday's joint practice, New England had the upper hand over Washington this week, who was the NFC's runner-up a year ago and a playoff hopeful again this season. The Pats starters only played briefly, while the Commanders starters didn't play at all on Friday night. Still, Vrabel's team is trending in the right direction.
While watching training camp and the preseason, the takeaways are less about scheme and more about player development. You want to see competency in all three phases from a coordination standpoint, but there isn't any game planning, nor do teams want to give away their best plays by putting them on film during preseason games. Instead, the hope is that there are tangible improvements on a day-to-day basis at practice that translate to preseason games, and Friday night's win is the latest proof that players are getting better under Vrabel.
Even if most of Friday night's game was backups versus backups, here's further proof that the Patriots roster is improving: New England eclipsed the 40-point mark in a game for the first time in 62 contests. That includes the preseason, regular season and one playoff game. It's been over three and a half years since we've seen the Patriots offense hang 40-plus points on an opponent. Yup, Mac Jones's rookie season in 2021, which also happens to be the last time that Josh McDaniels coordinated the offense.
"Operationally, we were pretty good. Felt like everybody was on the same page, substitution, getting in and out of the huddle," Vrabel said following the win. "It's a good start for everything that we were talking about. Give us some more to coach. We have to tackle better. We have to throw the football better going forward. I thought this was a good place to start."
When the Patriots had the greatest quarterback of all-time, Tom Brady, whose 17-foot statue now stands in the plaza outside of Gillette Stadium, 48-point performances were commonplace. As we all know, that hasn't been the case recently. That's not to say this offense will score 40-plus every week, and it remains to be seen what a good week in August against a quality opponent means in the grand scheme of things. But, after Friday night, the Patriots should feel good about the team's direction.
Here are nine observations from Friday night's victory over the Commanders in the Patriots preseason opener.
1. Play of the Game: RB TreVeyon Henderson Returns Opening Kickoff to the House on First NFL Touch
With a great Gillette Stadium crowd still buzzing from the Brady statue unveiling, the fans were still finding their seats when Henderson struck.
The Patriots electric rookie running back took the opening kickoff 100 yards to the house to put New England immediately in the driver's seat, topping 21 MPH as he ran through the Commanders kickoff coverage. Henderson adds a dimension that the Patriots have been clamoring for, with elite play speed that is palpable every time he touches the ball.
"I give thanks to my teammates. The guys up front did a good job blocking things up front and clearing a path for me," Henderson told reporters after the game. "I thought the kicker was going to get me, so I had to make sure I hit the gas. That's when I knew, once I got past the kicker."
Several good blocks from the Patriots kickoff return sprung Henderson, including single blocks from LB Jack Gibbens, undrafted rookie Elijah Ponder, CB Alex Austin and special teams ace Brenden Schooler. Once the first wave of blockers got Henderson in the open field, the rookie did the rest, with instant acceleration to top speed resulting in a statement touchdown. Henderson's playmaking ability also flashed on offense. The second rounder broke a tackle at the line of scrimmage to take a pass in the flat for nine yards, and scooted down the sideline for an 18-yard rush, tallying 30 scrimmage yards on four touches in just seven snaps.
Although it's premature to crown Henderson, it feels like the Patriots hit a home run by selecting him with the 38th overall pick in last April's draft.
2. QB Drake Maye Drops Back Eight Times in First Preseason Action of the 2025 Season
Although the Patriots quarterback had to wait longer than anticipated following Henderson's house call, Maye dropped back eight times while playing New England's first two possessions.
Overall, Maye didn't do much downfield passing with multiple quick games and only one pass attempt over 10 yards (incomplete go ball to Mack Hollins). His night got off to a rocky start on the Pats first offensive possession when the rookie left side of the offensive line failed to pass off a tackle-end stunt, which led to Maye being under pressure. The second-year quarterback tried to throw the ball while being dragged down by Commanders pass-rusher Johnny Newton, fumbling in the process, leading to a turnover. Although the pressure wasn't on Maye, those are the turnover-worthy plays that the young quarterback must avoid moving forward by living to see another day.
"We're going to need better from him. I think he knows that. That's obvious. It wasn't there. We just have to be able to find a way to get rid of the football or take a sack, punt, and play defense. But to the defense's credit, they forced a field goal," Vrabel said of the turnover.
After the fumble, the Patriots top offense rebounded well on an eight-play touchdown drive. Along with Henderson shining again, Maye did his best work with his legs, picking up a first down with an 11-yard scramble and then crossing the goal-line for a five-yard touchdown on a third down from the five-yard line. On the touchdown run, New England ran double in-breakers that cleared out the left side of the field, while Henderson drew two defenders on his route, including the only Commander with a chance to track Maye. When the Patriots enter the low red zone, Maye's mobility is a huge advantage, with opposing defenses having to account for the quarterback or pay the consequences.
The Patriots understandably didn't want to put their starting quarterback in harm's way by scripting mostly quick passes, with Maye's average target depth (5.5 yards) and time to throw (2.46s) reflecting that. Eventually, we'll have more concrete takeaways when they open the offense up, but for now, Maye's first preseason action brought a flash of mobility and a "trying to do too much" turnover.
3. Rookie OLs Will Campbell & Jared Wilson Make Preseason Debut vs. Commanders
The fourth-overall pick and third rounder got their first tastes of pro football by protecting Maye's blindside for the first two drives (14 snaps), and the results were about the same as what we've seen in camp.
Campbell's athleticism in space and finishing ability in the run game were on full display. He's a nasty, smooth and powerful blocker, making him a defensive back's worst nightmare when the Patriots run toss schemes to his side. Although it might not look like much, Campbell's body control to connect with moving targets while staying on his feet is rare at 6-6, 319 pounds.
That said, the Maye strip-sack appeared to be mostly on Campbell, from this perspective. Campbell committed to what appeared to be an inside move by pass-rusher Jacob Martin, but Martin was setting a pick for Newton to loop around on the stunt. Ideally, Campbell passes off Martin to Wilson at left guard and then blocks Newton. That's a tough one for Campbell, who could be thinking that Martin is testing his ability to mirror inside, causing him to bite on Martin's rush and miss Newton coming around the edge. For now, we can chalk it up to two rookies still getting their feet wet and learning to communicate in the NFL. Hopefully, Campbell and Wilson build chemistry and recognition to pass off stunts moving forward.
We'll have an in-depth review of the Patriots rookie linemen in After Further Review, but the unofficial tally was a sack allowed (Campbell) and the rookie duo holding up well as run blockers.
4. Notes on the Patriots Other Rookie Draft Picks in Their Preseason Debuts
- Third-round WR Kyle Williams didn't register a catch on three targets, but that wasn't due to a lack of separation. Williams beat DB Bobby Price on a goal-line slant (pass thrown behind), beat Price again by stacking the Commanders defender on a go route and appeared to draw a defensive pass interference but it went uncalled. Williams was challenging the Commanders corners all night, which is what you want to see. The catchable targets will come.
- Besides a missed tackle on a potential TFL in the backfield, fourth-round S Craig Woodson had a nice debut. Woodson played fast, and even the missed TFL happened fast while logging three special teams tackles, a quarterback hit, and a forced incompletion. Woodson played mostly safety but was also on the edge at times against base packages.
- Seventh-rounder Marcus Bryant started the game at right tackle before flipping over to left tackle. On initial viewing, Bryant allowed just one total pressure as he continued to compete for the top swing tackle job with Demontrey Jacobs. Bryant's ability to play both sides, which he also did in college between SMU and Missouri, bodes well for his future as a backup.
- Fifth-round DT Joshua Farmer had a slow start to the summer but is starting to come on lately. Farmer logged two pressures, one with a noticeable bull rush. His power is beginning to flash, which was his standout trait in college due to his play strength and great length (35-inch arms).
5. Training Camp Risers Who Continued to Help Their Stock vs. the Commanders
With everyone trying to predict who might grab the last few open spots on the Patriots initial roster, several players we noted were making strong pushes in camp showed out on Friday night.
Starting with the cornerbacks, New England has been practicing with CBs Alex Austin and D.J. James as their top outside corners because starters Christian Gonzalez and Cartlon Davis aren't participating in practices (and didn't dress on Friday night). Austin is a heavy favorite to be the Pats third outside corner. He had a textbook pass breakup in the end zone where he drove the receiver's hands from out of phase, prying the ball out when it arrived in K.J. Osborn's hands. As for the other camp riser at corner, James jumped a deep hitch by Commanders WR Michael Gallup for a pick. Gallup slipped at the top of the route, but James was still all over the route.
Lastly, Harvard product Truman Jones continues to catch the eye with two quarterback pressures and a pair of run stuffs. Jones plays with good physicality on the edge and has some first-step explosiveness to convert speed-to-power as a rusher. He's in the mix to earn a roster spot as a depth option and special-teamer at edge defender.
6. Notes on the Patriots Undrafted Rookies in Their Preseason Debuts
- The second-half flashes from WR Efton Chism III were not surprising as the undrafted rookie led the team in targets (8), catches (6) and receiving yards (50). Chism sat down nicely to move the chains on a third-down option route, caught a 12-yard touchdown on a shallow crosser in a mesh concept and had a nice 20-yard screen. Chism did run a third-down route short of the sticks on a 3rd-and-1, but Vrabel pointed to his play strength as a blocker and ball carrier as something that stood out to him.
- Undrafted rookie RB Lan Larison finished with 44 scrimmage yards (35 rushing, nine receiving) and a touchdown. He showed some burst to the edge, bouncing off his longest run (16 yards), and forced two missed tackles with some hard running. Larison is in the mix to make the team as the fourth back.
-Undrafted rookie Elijah Ponder is catching the eye in 1-on-1s during practice and had a pressure on 10 pass-rush snaps on Friday night.
- UDFA corner Jordan Polk was in the right spot when a Josh Johnson pass deflected off Jacoby Jones's hands and into Polk's lap. Jones then got him back by beating him on the goal-line with a whip route for a touchdown. Polk has an uphill battle to make the roster, but the interception was a nice moment. The sideline was amped for Polk.
7. Kicker Competition Continues: Do the Patriots Have Two Kickers?
The Patriots kicker competition is legit. Although a tie would seemingly go to sixth-rounder Andy Borregales as a rookie draft pick, Parker Romo isn't making things easy on the Pats brass to release him. Romo drilled a 57-yard field goal and made all three of his extra points, while Borregales hit from 22 yards and also made three PATs. These two have barely missed all summer, and you have to wonder if the tie goes to Borregales, does Romo have any trade value? Given how well he's been kicking this summer, it's hard to envision Romo making it to the practice squad.
8. An Injury and Other Notable Takeaways
-WR Ja'Lynn Polk didn't finish the game after landing hard while carrying the ball on an end around. Vrabel didn't have an update on Polk.
-RB Antonio Gibson had a great kickoff return of his own (62 yards) and added 37 scrimmage yards. Gibson continues to be a valuable piece for this team. Kudos to special teams coordinator Jeremy Springer and top assistant Tom Quinn. They had their units ready to go.
-Edge-setter Anfernee Jennings played into the fourth quarter on Friday night. It's always noteworthy when a veteran and former starter plays late in a preseason game.
-WR Javon Baker didn't have a catch on two targets but made two tackles on special teams. If he makes the roster as a depth receiver, he'll need to contribute on special teams to be active on game days.
-WR John Jiles ran a nice intermediate crosser for a 26-yard gain, followed by an explosive play from Jeremiah Webb on a catch-and-run off a snag route (33 yards) to headline a scoring drive.
-Rookie QB Ben Woolridge showed well, going 9-for-12 for 132 yards and a touchdown. Woolridge was more accurate on his throws than he was in practice—hopefully, something to build on for the undrafted rookie.
9. 12 Patriots Don't Dress for New England's Preseason Opener
On a housekeeping note, 12 players didn't suit up for the Patriots in Friday night's contest. Most had pre-existing injuries or treatment plans with a few veteran rest guys, so there weren't any major surprises: WR Stefon Diggs, CB Christian Gonzalez, DT Christian Barmore, CB Carlton Davis, LB Harold Landry, OT Morgan Moses, LB K'Lavon Chaisson, WR Kendrick Bourne, LB Jahlani Tavai, OT Vederian Lowe, T/G Caedan Wallace, and G Sidy Sow.
DISCLAIMER: The views and thoughts expressed in this article are those of the writer and don't necessarily reflect those of the organization. Read Full Disclaimer
