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It’s only the preseason, but the New England Patriots gave their fans a good number of things to be excited about in their 48-18 win over the Washington Commanders in their exhibition season opener.
Most of the Patriots’ starters also got some run in Friday’s game, while over two dozen Commanders players sat. Still, New England dominated in the first unofficial game of the Mike Vrabel era.
Here are four players who really stood out in the Patriots’ win over the Commanders.
How about taking a kickoff return 100 yards for a touchdown on your first (unofficial) touch of your NFL career? That’s what TreVeyon Henderson did on Friday, returning the opening kickoff for six.
TREVEYON HENDERSON 100-YD KICKOFF RETURN TD ON HIS FIRST NFL TOUCH
(via @Patriots)pic.twitter.com/0Lv64I25Oh
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) August 8, 2025
That play showed Henderson’s elite vision as a ball carrier, something he displayed often in both the running and passing games during his time at Ohio State. It also puts him in contention to be New England’s lead kickoff returner when the real season begins thanks to the NFL modifying its kickoff rules again this offseason.
But Henderson’s contributions didn’t end there. His lone carry went for 18 yards, taking a toss and running quickly to the outside to beat the Commanders’ defense at the line of scrimmage before picking up a first down.
In the passing game, Henderson had three receptions for 12 yards. He showed his toughness in one of those plays, breaking a tackle at the line of scrimmage after making a catch in the flat before hitting the truck stick on a Commanders defender.
TreVeyon Henderson breaks a tackle at the line of scrimmage and proceeds to lower his shoulder and concuss a Washington defender… this dude was made in a lab. pic.twitter.com/zEpKsZVAOP
— Carlos A. Lopez (@LosTalksPats) August 8, 2025
All in all, it was a pretty good day for Henderson, who’s continued to impress in training camp. More outings like the one he had on Friday might win him the starting running back job come Week 1.
In what was a quiet night for the Patriots’ wide receivers, undrafted rookie Efton Chism was a standout. Chism had a team-high six receptions for 50 yards.
One of those catches was a touchdown. On a fourth-and-1, Chism was able to come up with a contested catch on a rub route on a pass from Ben Woolridge. After making the grab, Chism fought through the grasp of a Washington defender before running into the end zone for a 12-yard touchdown.
Later in the game, Chism turned a screen pass into a 20-yard gain as he was able to swiftly navigate through the opposing defense.
.@EftonChism making it work on 4th down @Bwool8 | #NEPats
: WBZ pic.twitter.com/2MlgeEMO5v
— New England Patriots (@Patriots) August 9, 2025
Sure, those plays came against the Commanders’ third-stringers....
