Pats Pulpit
From TreVeyon Henderson taking the opening kickoff 100 yards for a touchdown to young cornerbacks D.J. James and Jordan Polk both registering interceptions, the New England Patriots’ preseason opener against the Washington Commanders saw several noteworthy performances. But while big plays like these tend to grab the general public’s attention — and for good reason — there are countless other moments that make up a football game and factor into it being a success or failure on a team and individual perspective.
Falling into the “success” category on Friday were the aforementioned Henderson and company, but also several players who largely flew under the radar during the 48-18 victory. Maybe their roles are anything but flashy or maybe their stat-lines did not properly reflect their contributions, but they played their part in New England starting the preseason on a positive note.
In turn, they themselves can feel good about the game against Washington. While there are other players worth pointing out, four in particular caught our eye upon studying the film.
On paper, the Patriots’ third-round draft pick had a quiet game. Despite playing 25 of 64 offensive snaps for a playing time share of 39 percent — third among the team’s wideouts — Williams finished with no receptions on the day. It wasn’t for a lack of targets either: the ball was thrown his way on four occasions.
Looking only at those numbers, one might be quick to point toward Williams having a stinker of a game. That was definitely not the case: maybe more than any other player on Friday night, he was hurt by the circumstances.
Playing with backup quarterbacks Joshua Dobbs and Ben Wooldridge, Williams was put in a challenging spot by his passers. His first target of the night set the tone in that regard, and already showed that the potential for production was there if given a proper chance.
Facing a 3rd-and-goal from the 4-yard line, the Patriots called a quick slant with Williams as the intended target. He did his job, showcasing an impressive release package to get open against cornerback Bobby Price. While this left him wide open, the ball arrived behind him and eventually almost resulted in a red zone interception; the rookie reaching back helped break up the pass which was a favorable outcome considering the alternative.
Whether Dobbs or Williams are to blame for the failed connection is impossible to tell without knowing the details in regards to timing and landmarks, but the young wideout getting open immediately certainly was encouraging to see. So where other moments on Friday, but they did not result in any statistical impact whatsoever.
The Patriots started their preseason with a three-rookie offensive line. While left tackle Will Campbell and left guard Jared Wilson are naturally the headline names, right tackle Marcus Bryant actually played the most snaps out of the trio: he finished with 43 on the day (67%) while lining up both on the...
