The Giants brought the home with a zero blitz in the crucial second-and-goal game, forgoing a deep safety to bring in an extra blitz. As the pass rush focused on Zappe, he gave Humphrey a shot against a single cover at the seam, and the big wideout made the catch. No, there is no quarterback controversy in New England. But Zappe’s performance deserves a closer look in our After Further Review movie breakdown in the coming days.
3. Patriots LB Mack Wilson game speed is fully displayed
Among probably the most important contributors to watch the field Thursday night, offseason acquisition Mack Wilson brought the kind of speed the Patriots desperately needed at the linebacker position to the second level. Wilson, who has shown finishing thrust in cover and blitz all summer, did the same against the Giants. Wilson registered a quarterback hit by quickly closing in on an inside blitz from Daniel Jones, then made a quick tackle out of his hook zone to stop Daniel Bellinger’s tight end just short of the line and win in third place . These are the plays the Patriots missed from their linebackers a year ago.
4. Patriots rookie LG Cole Strange is holding up well in preseason debut
Though we’ll have to review the tape before drawing any definitive conclusions, first-round pick Cole Strange appeared to hold his own in his first game action. Strange’s running block in particular stood out, executing his roll and making a key pull block on a one-back power scheme to clear the way for running back JJ Taylor to move the sticks to third-and-short. Again, we’ll dissect the feature film on Strange, but it looked like a solid performance from the newcomer on its first outing.
5. Participation in Patriots Secondary is meaningful
Along with seventh-seeded Andrew Stueber, who is on the non-football injury list, rookie cornerback Marcus Jones was the only first-year Patriot not to play Thursday night. On the one hand, Jones could still work his way back from offseason surgery on both shoulders. But on the other hand, Jones isn’t training with a red non-contact jersey at this point. The other theory is that the rookie slot corner and punt return represented in last week’s practice with the starting defense is already considered a core factor.
Of all the corners that participated on Thursday night, Shaun Wade’s competitive ball skills stood out as he watched the game live. Rookie Jack Jones also nearly skipped multiple passes for interceptions. The four-rounder has ball-hawking qualities in cover.
6. An early look at the receiving back contest
Following James White’s retirement earlier in the day, the Patriots now have a void to fill in the reception back role. Based on training camp, veteran Ty Montgomery has the inside track to fill that role, and Montgomery was among the offensive starters who sat out Thursday night to signal the coaches felt the same way. Rookie running back Pierre Strong Jr. is a future candidate for the role of James White. But Strong struggled with pass protection against the Giants, where rookie running backs with pass catcher potential often have growing pains. Look no further than White, who ended his rookie season as a redshirt while studying under Shane Vereen. Strong’s burst showed up late in the game on a smooth nine-yard run, where he sharply severed left guard Arlington Hambright’s block in an inside zoning scheme.
7. Patriots DB Myles Bryant returns punts for the first time since high school
Speaking to reporters after the game, Bryant told Patriots.com that Thursday night’s contest was his first time returning punts since his last game in high school. Bryant then credited the coaching staff with identifying his initial quickness as a trait that would translate into punt returns, adding that he’d been used to wearing the football since he was a running back in high school was. It’s safe to say that Bryant has a knack for returning punts with 30- and 16-yard returns against the Giants.
8. Patriots Young Pass-Rushers Flash vs. Giants
After watching the film, we get the official tally of quarterback pressure, but a trio of Patriots pass rushers had good moments Thursday night: Anfernee Jennings, Josh Uche and rookie Sam Roberts. Roberts in particular was someone who stood out beyond what he had done in practice so far. We had the Pats rookie with three quarterback pressures and a draw hold, including setting up Uche for his sack with the initial rush on Daniel Jones. Roberts’ first explosiveness to get under blockers and pocket press is NFL caliber.
Another note: The Patriots spent most of their base defensive snaps with a 4-3 overfront. It’s not the first time they’ve used an overfront like they did at times last year, but it’s worth watching if they switch to a more even front base defense versus an odd front structure (3-4 defense). .
9. Patriots WRs Kristian Wilkerson, Tre Nixon and Lil’Jordan Humphrey lead the way
Leading the way through the air was a trio of wide receivers who also had moments in practice. Wilkerson, who has played in four games for the Pats in the last two seasons, is in a difficult situation. With a team strength of eight catches and 99 yards on 12 goals, it’s clear Wilkerson can hold his own against NFL competition. But its path to being more than a depth map option backend is murky. Outside of a third down drop, Nixon continues to show enough burst and acceleration through his route breaks to create a separation at this level. Though the drop stings, the route itself was a snapshot of Nixon’s ability to quickly achieve a breakup on routes below. As we know, that’s a valuable ability on the Patriots’ offense. As for Humphrey, he also beat the Pats secondary earlier this week for a similar touchdown grab in practice. At 6-foot-3, he could find a role as a jumbo slot, or at least be a valuable practice group receiver to mimic larger targets.