Last night was the Patriots first look at their team of the 2022 season. In their first preseason game, Bill Belichick and co. took on the New York Football Giants in a game where few Giants starters played and 0 Patriots offensive starters got snaps.
The Giants would go on to win the game 23-21 but we all know the score doesn't matter for preseason; it's all about the performances of young and rising stars.
There were a few standouts on either team but lets focus on our Patriots for this article as preseason is where past stars have gotten their first taste of the limelight in this town like Julian Edelman, James White and Matthew Slater.
Last night was a good showing for several new receivers, including 2nd round pick Tyquan Thornton who ran a great post and release against tight coverage for a red zone score.
Sophomore undrafted free agent Kristian Wilkerson would have the best statline of 8 catches for 99 yards including a 33-yard streak route, showing Wilkerson's speed on the edge.
Another great performance came from 2020 2nd-round pick Josh Uche. The outside linebacker used mainly as a pass rusher recorded a sack and a TFL in the first half. Uche has a bright future ahead of him if healthy and it showed here as he was one of the leaders on defense while in the game.
Another notable takeaway from this game was that the playcalling duties were split amongst Matt Patricia and the returning assistant Joe Judge. The reports all said that Patricia would be the play-caller this year as the former defensive coordinator has made leaps with his offensive personnel this year. Patricia has only called plays his second season as Lions head coach before this so it is worthy to point out he had a conservative approach in this game. Yes, It was a preseason game that didn't matter but he did great foresight in spreading the ball around to give everyone a chance to do something with the ball which was the right move.
Next week the Pats will take on the Carolina Panthers in a game that is sure to see more starters and more risks taken as we gear up for the 2022 season and their opening game in Miami on September 11th.
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Make sure to stay tuned as we continue coverage on the New England Patriots and the entire 2022 NFL season!
-Z.D.
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