Pats Pulpit
The New England Patriots won their second preseason game of the year 20-12 over the Minnesota Vikings Saturday afternoon.
Here is who caught our eye for better or worse upon live viewing.
WR Efton Chism III: After a strong two days of joint practices, Chism continued to stay red hot in New England’s second preseason game again leading all pass catchers with six receptions for 71 yards and a touchdown. He continues to show his knack for getting open against man and zone while his play strength received complements from Mike Vrabel and Eliot Wolf after he broke through nearly the entire Vikings defense on multiple occasions.
Frequent readers know we’ve been high on Chism here since the draft process, but the undrafted receiver now looks locked on to the Patriots roster.
RB TreVeyon Henderson: Another week, another TreVeyon Henderson touchdown. Working with the top offense down near the end zone, Henderson looked dead in the water before breaking through the line of scrimmage for a score. That came shortly after the explosive back picked up 11 yards on a third-and-10 draw. The rookie is in ‘We will see you in Week 1’ territory based off his summer.
LB Anfernee Jennings: The veteran edge defender played into the fourth quarter again on Saturday, which may not project well for his chances of making New England’s roster. But, Jennings took advantage of the opportunities thrown is way as he recorded three sacks when on the field in addition to another pressure. One sack came with Jennings chasing quarterback Max Brosmer out of the pocket and making a diving play to swipe him down by the ankle.
WR: Javon Baker: It was a challenging second preseason game for sophomore wide receiver Javon Baker, who joined John Jiles and Jeremiah Webb as the only receivers to see second half action with quarterback Ben Wooldridge. While some targets appeared uncatchable in live action, Baker finished the day by bringing in just one of seven targets for 13 yards. He also had at least one drop, a false start and failed to make much of an impact on special teams as he did in the preseason opener.
SAF: Kyle Dugger: The tenured safety’s role in the Patriots defense has been under the microscope of late as Dugger has extensively run with the second unit in recent practices. On Saturday, Dugger played deep into the fourth quarter where he ultimately intercepted Minnesota’s game-tying pass attempt as time expired. While it was a positive play, Dugger questionably did not go down and almost lost the interception on the ground.
