Sportsnaut
Mike Vrabel and the Patriots are preparing to wrap up the preseason with a trip to New York to take on the Giants. The preseason has gone almost perfect for the Patriots so far, as they sit at 2-0 and have seen some promising developments from key players.
Vrabel has given at least a few snaps to most of his starters so far. For example, Drake Maye attempted five passes in the opener and seven last weekend. Prized offseason addition Stefon Diggs has yet to play in the preseason, while veterans Kyle Dugger and Anfernee Jennings have played much more than expected.
Now that there are only three preseason games, the strategy has changed. Back when four games were played, coaches typically didn’t play their starters in the finale. Now, however, some coaches prefer to give their starters even more snaps in the finale to prepare for Week 1.
Considering some veterans like Diggs and Carlton Davis II haven’t seen any snaps yet, many Patriots fans may be wondering if the starters will play in the finale against the Giants. If Tuesday’s practice is any indication, then it seems like the answer is no.
Per ESPN’s Mike Reiss, the starters ended practice by “running sprints,” while the backups went through “situational work.” Reiss noted that it would be “unusual” to push starters like that at the end of practice if they were going to play in the game Thursday.
Opinion/analysis: The way practice ended, with starting players running sprints, and backups going through situational work, could be a tipoff to how Mike Vrabel will approach preseason finale Thursday. Probably unusual to be pushing starters like that if they were going to play.
— Mike Reiss (@MikeReiss) August 19, 2025
Of course, Vrabel isn’t known as the most easy-going coach, so it’s entirely possible the starters could get worked hard in practice and still play some snaps. Although, considering the team’s top unit has looked solid so far, it seems unnecessary to risk injury by playing in the preseason finale.
Regardless, the Patriots and Giants will kick off from MetLife Stadium on Thursday 8:00 p.m. ET. The Patriots will have to cut their roster down to 53 players by August 26 and the Week 1 opener will be on September 7 against the Raiders.
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