The New England Patriots failed to get the job done at home in Thursday’s 14-13 preseason loss to the Philadelphia Eagles. Yet, even after a defeat, there was legitimate optimism to take away for the future.
Let’s start with the bad first.
The offensive line continued to be the Achilles heel of the Patriots, particularly when it came to snapping the ball. Liam Fornadel in particular delivered the low snap fumble that nixed any hope of a Bailey Zappe comeback drive in the fourth quarter.
There were also constant issues at left tackle for the team with Vederian Lowe seeing a significant chunk of the snaps. He was beaten multiple times by the defense and even gave up a blindside sack on Maye, who got clobbered by a defender.
Those mental breakdowns and offensive line struggles reeked of the same team we saw in 2023. That’s something coach Jerod Mayo is going to have to clean up before the season starts.
However, it wasn’t all bad news for the Patriots.
Maye looked impressive on a night where he saw extended reps under center. He was able to use his athleticism to make plays when things broke down around him. He also hit a couple of nice throws, including a dart on a third-down crosser and a beautiful deep pass that rookie wide receiver Javon Baker failed to come down with.
I am SO disappointed Javon Baker didn't come down with this. What a gorgeous throw by Drake Maye pic.twitter.com/LTQw0sGRfO
— Ben Brown 🌻 (@BenBrownPL) August 16, 2024
Maye went 6-of-11 passing for 47 yards, along with four rushing attempts for 15 yards and a touchdown in the game.
The Patriots have a lot of work to do to get back to contention. In some regards, they still look like the worst team by far in the AFC East. But Maye’s performance and continued growth should give them real hope for the future.
This isn’t a sprint for this team. It’s a marathon. And this game gave them their first glimpse at the possibility of eventually winning that race.
