Eight Takeaways From Patriots’ Preseason Game Vs. Packers

The focus after Saturday night’s abbreviated New England Patriots preseason game was, of course, on Isaiah Bolden.

The rookie cornerback was carted off the field after suffering a head/neck injury, prompting the Patriots and Green Bay Packers to agree to suspend the game with 10:29 remaining in the fourth quarter and New England leading 21-17 at Lambeau Field.

There was no talk of touchdown drives, pass breakups and roster battles in New England’s somber postgame news conferences. Only Bolden, who was transported to a local hospital and, according to the team, had movement in his extremities.

“It sounds like he’s doing a lot better from what they’re telling us,” quarterback Mac Jones said in his presser. “So, that’s awesome.”

We will continue to share updates on the 23-year-old’s status as they are released. Until then, here are eight other things that caught our eye Saturday.

1. First look at Mac Jones
As expected, the Patriots played the majority of their starters in this game after sitting them in last week’s preseason opener against the Houston Texans. That included Jones, who got to run Bill O’Brien’s new offense in a game setting for the first time.

Jones played the first three series before Bailey Zappe relieved him early in the second quarter. How’d he do? Pretty well. Jones completed 5 of 9 passes for 52 yards and was sacked twice, including a strip sack on his final snap of the night. The results of his three drives: touchdown, punt, lost fumble.

For a detailed breakdown of Jones’ first outing of the preseason, click here.

2. Kendrick Bourne keeps rising
Jones’ connection was strongest with Bourne, who looks poised for a bounce-back season after a forgettable 2022 campaign. The veteran wideout caught passes on the Patriots’ first two offensive plays and later pulled down a contested 17-yard jump ball on third-and-8. He finished with three catches on four targets for 34 yards and also laid a key block to spring Rhamondre Stevenson for a 23-yard carry.

JuJu Smith-Schuster’s lone target was a jet-sweep pop pass that went for 1 yard. DeVante Parker only had one official target — a deep ball from Jones that didn’t hit — but he also drew a defensive holding penalty in the end zone to set up Stevenson’s first-quarter touchdown run.

The majority of Jones’ snaps came with those top three wideouts on the field.

3. Strong night for the rookie wideouts
Training camp sensation Demario Douglas managed to impress despite playing just three offensive snaps. He caught passes from Jones on two of those, getting open for a 15-yard pickup on third-and-10 and using some nifty footwork to avoid a tackle for loss on a wide receiver screen.

At this point, you can officially call this rookie standout a roster lock. He’ll be behind Smith-Schuster, Parker and Bourne to open the season, but Douglas will have a role in O’Brien’s offense.

The Patriots also got a splash play from their other sixth-round wideout in this game. Kayshon Boutte caught a pass from Zappe late in the second quarter and took it to the house for a 42-yard touchdown.

Kayshon to the 🏠

📺: @wbzsports pic.twitter.com/DRxRDAG82v

— New England Patriots (@Patriots) August 20, 2023

Boutte also had a 7-yard reception and drew a defensive pass interference penalty, and the Patriots sat him down for the night shortly after halftime. This was exactly what the former LSU star needed to show after his sleepy performance in the preseason opener.

Is Boutte a lock to make the 53-man roster? We wouldn’t put him in that category just yet. But the Patriots are going to have to seriously consider keeping six wide receivers — one more than they typically carry.

One factor to keep in mind: Tyquan Thornton suffered a shoulder injury in Thursday’s joint practice, didn’t suit up against Green Bay and reportedly is considered “week to week.” If he won’t be available to start the season, that would boost Boutte’s odds of sticking around.

4. DNPs
Thornton was one of more than a dozen players who were not in uniform Saturday. The others:

CB Jonathan Jones
G Cole Strange
OT Conor McDermott
TE Mike Gesicki
OL Kody Russey
WR/RB Ty Montgomery
RB Pierre Strong
OLB Ronnie Perkins
G Mike Onwenu
ST Cody Davis
DE Trey Flowers
OT Calvin Anderson

There also were a handful of players who dressed but did not play, including linebacker Ja’Whaun Bentley, cornerback Marcus Jones, defensive end Keion White, linebacker/safety Marte Mapu and, most notably, running back Ezekiel Elliott.

The Patriots evidently wanted to give their big-name free-agent pickup more than two days of practice reps before throwing him into a game. Elliott watched from the sideline in his No. 15 jersey while backups Kevin Harris and J.J. Taylor saw the lion’s share of backfield snaps.

Taylor had the better game of the two, rushing four times for 29 yards and adding three catches for 29 yards while Harris was held to 31 rushing yards on 10 attempts. Stevenson had four carries for 27 yards and a 1-yard touchdown in his first-quarter cameo.

5. Rough go at receiver for Malik Cunningham
Cunningham was the star of New England’s preseason opener after he subbed in at quarterback and led an impressive fourth-quarter touchdown drive. His second game was a different story.

The Patriots gave Cunningham a long, long look at wide receiver against the Packers — 31 snaps total — and he very much looked like someone who’s only been playing the position for a few months. The undrafted rookie finished with no catches on five targets from Zappe, though he did draw one DPI and laid a nice block on a Taylor carry. Cunningham also returned one kickoff for 21 yards.

The shoulder injury that sent Tre Nixon to the locker room late in the first half might have contributed to Cunningham’s huge workload at wideout, and it’s unclear whether the Patriots were planning to give him any QB reps before the game was called off. He’s looked significantly better at the latter than the former this summer.

Quarterback Trace McSorley also didn’t see action. Zappe finished 10-of-22 for 177 yards and one touchdown with no interceptions, plus a 6-yard rushing score.

6. Still trouble at tackle
We saw good and bad from rookie Sidy Sow, who got the start at right tackle. He helped clear a path for Stevenson’s touchdown plunge but was overpowered for a sack on the next Patriots drive.

New England’s third possession ended in a strip sack after edge rusher Kingsley Enagbare flew past Andrew Stueber and buried Jones. Stueber had replaced starter Trent Brown at left tackle minutes earlier, and he likely would have stayed on the bench for longer had McDermott or Anderson been available.

Add in the fact that guards Strange and Onwenu both still are sidelined, and the health and depth of New England’s O-line remain real concerns.

7. Big names on defense
The Patriots also had most of their defensive starters play at least a few series. For some, like Matthew Judon and Kyle Dugger, it was just a handful of plays. For others, like rookie cornerback Christian Gonzalez, it was much longer.

Gonzalez and Jack Jones both remained in the game until halftime, giving the Patriots an extended look at what could be their starting cornerback duo in Week 1 if Jonathan Jones can’t make it back from his undisclosed injury in time. The first-round draft pick had a leaping pass breakup that led to an interception by safety Brad Hawkins, but officials waved it off over a ticky-tack pass interference penalty.

We could see some exciting matchups between Gonzalez and Tennessee Titans wideout DeAndre Hopkins on Friday.

8. Baringer’s back
After what was described as an underwhelming week of practice in Green Bay, rookie punter Bryce Baringer uncorked a pair of moonshots Saturday night. His two punts traveled 61 and 59 yards and yielded 3 total return yards. Corliss Waitman punted once for 32 yards, but his was from inside Packers territory. Baringer also held for kickers Nick Folk and Chad Ryland.

As for that kicker competition, Folk and Ryland went 2-for-2 and 1-for-1 on extra points, respectively, with neither attempting a field goal. Each kicked off twice and had one touchback apiece.