Final, Patriots 47-12: It was a great night for the Patriots' reserves, who absolutely pounded Jacksonville's backups in the preseason opener. Tom Brady, Vince Wilfork, Jerod Mayo, Devin McCourty, Chad Ochocinco, Wes Welker, Deion Branch, BenJarvus Green-Ellis and the entire starting offensive line sat out the victory, but Brian Hoyer, Ryan Mallett and Stevan Ridley shined in their absence. Stay with NESN.com for complete postgame coverage.
Fourth quarter, 7:35, Patriots 47-12: Richard Medlin got another one, and this thing has gotten a little out of hand. Medlin has no shot of making the team, but he's putting his name out there for the 16 scouting departments that are in the press box Thursday night.
Fourth quarter, 9:20, Patriots 40-12: Patriots wide receiver Buddy Farnham, who is from Andover, Mass., intercepted a pass to give the Patriots the ball back. Farnham played safety for the scout team in Wednesday's walkthrough, and it's Bill Belichick's way of helping the kid do something on the field. Nice to see someone take advantage of that opportunity.
Fourth quarter, 10:20, Patriots 40-12: The Patriots parted the Jacksonville Sea, and Richard Medlin burst through it to score a two-yard touchdown on the very first carry of his NFL life. Good start, although the celebration was a little much at this point in the game.
Fourth quarter, 14:47, Patriots 33-12: Josh Scobee's third field goal capped the Jags' best drive since the first one of the game. Scobee booted a 31-yarder and has been one of the Jags' few bright spots in this game. Jacksonville isn't playing its big guns, either, but there's an obvious disparity in depth between these two teams. For better or worse, some of the Patriots' third-stringers have postseason experience, while the Jaguars are playing a bunch of unknowns.
End of third quarter, Patriots 33-9: The Jaguars are driving deep into New England territory, but this game has turned into a battle between third-stringers. Cornerback Darius Butler is having a tough night, and it has continued on this drive. Safety Sergio Brown is continuing to look good, as has Mark Anderson off the edge. The Patriots have played a more traditional 4-3 on this drive.
Third quarter, 5:20, Patriots 33-9: Now he's just showing off. Stevan Ridley broke free in a wheel route to the left side and easily raced past a linebacker to haul in a lob from Ryan Mallett and find the end zone for the third time. That play was designed to get Ridley in that matchup, and Mallett recognized it immediately, put the ball in a perfect position and let Ridley do the work. Impressive from start to finish.
Third quarter, 7:28, Patriots 26-9: It's coming back due to Jonathan Wilhite's illegal block in the back, but Taylor Price showed some good burst on a big punt return. Price has plenty of speed, so he could be an asset in the return game, but I don't think he could wrestle the starting punt return job from Julian Edelman.
Third quarter, 9:03, Patriots 26-9: Stevan Ridley's second touchdown run capped off a 13-play, 82-yard drive from Ryan Mallett and the offense. Ridley got tangled up between two defenders at the line before twisting out of the tackle and scoring to the outside. I like watching him more every day. Just a tough, tough runner.
Ryan Mallett completed 6 of 8 passes for 79 yards on the drive, and he looked better there than he has at any point in training camp. Great sight to see. He had some happy feet at some points, but he was effective, obviously. Credit Taylor Price for breaking a tackle after an out-route and earning Mallett 50 passing yards. It was a really crisp sideline pass for Mallett, who delivered a third-down strike that would have moved the chains anyway, but Price finished the play.
Third quarter, 14:55, Patriots 19-9: Ryan Mallett is in at quarterback to start the second half. Brian Hoyer had a very strong showing, completing 15 of 21 passes for 171 yards and one touchdown. He led four scoring drives and an effective two-minute drill to close the half. The Patriots have to be happy with what they saw there.
Mallett hasn't had a great camp, which is expected for a rookie quarterback. Let's see how he does in game action, though.
Halftime, Patriots 19-9: Stephen Gostkowski kicked a 43-yard field goal at the end of the half to cap Brian Hoyer's efficient two-minute drill. It was a really good half for Hoyer, Taylor Price, Stevan Ridley and (for the most part) Aaron Hernandez on the offensive side of the ball.
A couple leftovers: Bill Belichick was really coaching Ryan Mallett after the quarterbacks broke from their meeting during the Pats' second timeout. Not sure what Belichick and Mallett were talking about, but it was interesting to see.
Kyle Arrington has been playing in the slot a little bit, which is important because he was on the outside last year. If Arrington can play well in the slot, he'd be the third cornerback on the depth chart in all situations.
Second quarter, 4:10, Patriots 16-9: Remember when Sam Bradford lit up the Patriots last preseason? Yeah, well, Blaine Gabbert is no Sam Bradford. Gabbert has been OK at best, sailing some throws — including a third-down pass that somehow dropped from Patrick Chung's hands — and he has held the ball too long on at least two occasions. Two of the Jags' three scores were set up by defense and special teams, and the Jags didn't get a first down on either of those two series.
Second quarter, 9:35, Patriots 16-9: Stephen Gostkowski's 46-yard field goal extended the Pats' lead after another good series for Brian Hoyer. However, Hoyer made one bad decision on third down and should have gotten picked off. Tight end Lee Smith was open down the right sideline, but Hoyer didn't see him until it was too late. Hoyer threw an off-balance pass, so there wasn't much on it. The pass got knocked down before it got to Smith, but that gets intercepted more times than not.
Second quarter, 12:08, Patriots 13-9: The Jaguars took advantage of Deji Karim's 84-yard kickoff return with Josh Scobee's 29-yard field goal. Dane Fletcher had another big stop on third down by pushing through the line and taking down the runner. Two big plays for the linebacker.
Second quarter, 14:15, Patriots 13-6: Tom Brady is wearing an ear piece to monitor the conversation between the coaches and Brian Hoyer. It helps Brady stay in the game, and he'll be able to talk with Brian Hoyer (and later Ryan Mallett) about some of the things he could hear throughout the night.
Second quarter, 14:15, Patriots 13-6: Brian Hoyer hit Taylor Price for an 11-yard touchdown on third down. Hoyer's pass was behind Price, who held up along the back of the end zone to make a really nice catch before tapping his feet inbounds. Price is another guy who has had a very good camp. That's the theme in this game: Good practices, good game. Except for the snap there on the extra point. That wasn't good.
End of first quarter, Patriots 7-6: The quarter ended with Brian Hoyer hitting Aaron Hernandez for 19 yards. Hernandez, who got chewed out by Bill Belichick before the series, has four catches and two fumbles (one lost). Hoyer looks good running the offense, completing 5 of 6 passes in the opening quarter.
First quarter, 0:02, Patriots 7-6: Ouch, terrible punt from veteran Matt Turk, who advanced the ball 14 yards. Not what they're looking for. The Patriots take over at the Jags' 22.
First quarter, 1:27, Patriots 7-6: Steven Ridley was in the goal-line package and scored a one-yard touchdown, showing his raw strength to push through a tackler to get into the end zone. He's had a terrific camp, and he showed why there.
Aaron Hernandez fumbled for the second time on that series, but he recovered the mistake. That's three fumbles (Danny Woodhead) in three series.
Stephen Gostkowski kicked the extra point. Just like practice, Chris Koepplin has handled kickoffs, but the Patriots have deemed Gostkowski healthy enough to kick field goals and extra points.
First quarter, 4:11, Jags 6-0: By the way, Matt Slater nearly blocked the punt. Good start for the special teams extraordinaire.
First quarter, 5:24, Jags 6-0: The Jags punted for the first time after a good defensive series by the Pats. Dane Fletcher smoked through the hole on first down to tackle Rashad Jennings for a six-yard loss, and Landon Cohen sacked Blaine Gabbert on third down. Gabbert simply held the ball too long. Good pressure, but the pocket didn't collapse too, too quickly.
The Patriots have played mostly a 3-4 base because they don't have their 4-3 personnel in the lineup. There are some 4-3 tendencies in there, though. Jermaine Cunningham has played standing up and in a three-point stance, but that's normal for him.
First quarter, 8:14, Jags 6-0: From left to right, the Patriots have Nate Solder, Thomas Austin, Rich Ohrnberger, Mark LeVoir and Steve Maneri on the starting offensive line. Two interesting things there: LeVoir just started practicing at right guard when Dan Connolly got hurt late during Monday's practice. He's behind Connolly, Ryan Wendell and (presumably) Rich Ohrnberger on the depth chart at that position. With LeVoir inside, Maneri switched to the right side. I've only seen him at left tackle so far in camp, so I'm very interested to see how he performs at right tackle. If he plays well, he could supplant LeVoir as Sebastian Vollmer's backup, which might be the only way Maneri makes the team.
First quarter, 8:38, Jags 6-0: Sam Swank kicked a 40-yard field goal to salvage the Jaguars' good field position after Aaron Hernandez's fumble. Hernandez has actually been on fire in the last week of practice, so it was surprising to see him cough up the ball like that. But then again, two weeks after the team's first practice, there shouldn't been many surprises out there Thursday night.
First quarter, 9:32, Jags 3-0: David Jones forced Aaron Hernandez to fumble on the Patriots' first offensive snap. The Jags have a first-and-10 at the New England 26.
It's very clear that the Patriots are resting the majority of their starters in this one, which makes sense. If Tom Brady isn't playing, he isn't going to be the only one.
First quarter, 9:38, Jags 3-0: Brian Hoyer led the offense onto the field, and Tom Brady stayed on the sideline without a helmet. So it's clear that he won't play in this game. There are no starters on the offensive line, but rookie Nate Solder is in at left tackle.
First quarter, 9:42, Jaguars 3-0: Josh Scobee kicked a 41-yard field goal on the opening possession of the game. Leigh Bodden checked in late in the series, but the Pats didn't use Vince Wilfork, Jerod Mayo or Devin McCourty. It appears unlikely they'll play. Darius Butler and Kyle Arrington were the starting corners. Patrick Chung and Brandon Meriweather played at safety.
First quarter, 13:55, 0-0: Vince Wilfork, Jerod Mayo, Devin McCourty and Leigh Bodden were not in the starting lineup. Wilfork, Mayo and McCourty don't even have helmets on the sideline, so it looks unlikely that they'll play.
First quarter, 15:00, 0-0: Chris Koepplin handled the opening kickoff, so the Patriots are still bringing Stephen Gostkowski along slowly. Koepplin showed the big leg he has boasted throughout training camp by launching it through the end zone.
7:36 p.m.: The Jaguars called heads and won the toss, and they elected to receive.
7:34 p.m.: Always love a good flyover, especially when it's followed by "Highway to the Danger Zone." The Pats and Jags are moments away from kickoff.
7:11 p.m.: Albert Haynesworth, Brandon Spikes, Brandon Tate, Ras-I Dowling, Shane Vereen, Kevin Faulk, James Sanders, Eric Kettani, Josh Barrett, Marcus Cannon, Ryan Wendell, Dan Connolly, Chris Morris, Brandon Deaderick, Matt Light, Shaun Ellis, Ron Brace and Mike Wright were not in uniform for the Patriots and will not play against the Jaguars.
6:46 p.m.: Tom Brady has taken the field in full uniform with quarterbacks Brian Hoyer and Ryan Mallett. It doesn't mean Brady will play, but he's present. Chad Ochocinco, Deion Branch and Brandon Tate did not take the field with the wide receivers. I'll have a full attendance report once everyone is here.
6:31 p.m. UMass mascot Sam the Minuteman is on the field at Gillette Stadium. Just doing his thing. No big deal.
6:00 p.m.: Tom Brady won't play Thursday night, according to 98.5 The Sports Hub's Gresh and Zolak. That's very interesting, and I would have to believe he won't be the only big name to sit against the Jags.
5:54 p.m.: Brian Hoyer, Ryan Mallett, Julian Edelman, Taylor Price and Danny Woodhead are on the field warming up, and some more of their teammates are filing out of the locker room behind them. No one is wearing a uniform or pads or anything just yet.
5:46 p.m.: Logan Mankins' six-year contract could be worth as much as $51 million, according to the Boston Globe. So, he's rich now.
5:35 p.m.: After overhearing several conversations among the media and PR staffers from Jacksonville, it's clear that the big story with the Jaguars is Blaine Gabbert, the former Missouri quarterback who was taken with the 10th pick in April's draft. It doesn't even sound like there's a close second.
5:19 p.m.: Stephen Gostkowski has been joined on the field by kicker Chris Koepplin, punter Zoltan Mesko, long snapper Matt Katula, tight end Lee Smith and defensive lineman Landon Cohen.
4:56 p.m.: Stephen Gostkowski is the first Patriot on the field.
4:51 p.m.: There are about a dozen Jaguars getting ready on the field in shorts and T-shirts. No Patriots yet, though.
4:44 p.m.: Here are a bunch of things I'm going to be watching out for Thursday night.
4:22 p.m.: It's a beautiful day here at Gillette Stadium, and the Patriots and Jaguars are about three hours shy of kickoff. The tailgaters are already filling up the parking lots, but the traffic on Route 1 isn't too bad yet.
8:00 a.m. ET: Tom Brady and the Patriots will suit up on the Gillette Stadium field for the first time since January, and it will be just two weeks after their first practice of training camp.
It's an interesting dynamic. They need to make up for lost time while stopping short of overexerting themselves too soon. Because of that, expect it to be like any other preseason opener in terms of playing time. Brady and the starters might get a few reps early before passing the torch to the second- and third-stringers.
Kickoff against the Jacksonville Jaguars is at 7:30 p.m., but we'll have you covered throughout the day, so keep checking back to NESN.com's live blog.