Five Takeaways From the Patriots’ Preseason Opener Vs. Giants

Five takeaways from Patriots' preseason opener vs. Giants originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston

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The New England Patriots began their preseason with a last-second loss to the New York Giants on Thursday night.

With quarterback Mac Jones and most of the Patriots' starters sitting out, the preseason opener was a chance to see what the rookies bring to the table. It also provided a glimpse at the players who could see their roles increase in the 2022 season.

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Rookie quarterback Bailey Zappe engineered an impressive drive late in the fourth quarter, giving New England the lead with a 20-yard touchdown pass to Lil'Jordan Humphrey. Unfortunately for the Patriots, Davis Webb and the Giants had enough time to put together a game-winning drive. Graham Gano's field goal sealed the victory as time expired.

Here are a few takeaways from the Pats' 23-21 defeat. They'll host the Carolina Panthers in next Friday's preseason game with kickoff set for 7 p.m. ET.

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Matt Patricia, Joe Judge split play-calling duties

One of the biggest offseason storylines for the Patriots was their decision to forgo naming an offensive coordinator to replace Josh McDaniels. Instead, Matt Patricia and Joe Judge have split those duties throughout the spring and summer with Patricia being named the Senior Football Adviser/Offensive Line Coach and Judge earning the Offensive Assistant/Quarterbacks Coach title.

The trend continued on Thursday night as Patricia and Judge tag-teamed offensive play-calling duties. Patricia called plays on offense to begin the game with Brian Hoyer under center, then Judge took over once rookie quarterback Bailey Zappe entered the game.

As our Phil Perry pointed out, head coach Bill Belichick spent plenty of time with Zappe on the sideline. With McDaniels out of the picture, we could see much more of Belichick working with his QBs throughout this season.

Belichick doing a lot of talking with Zappe right now as Judge stands by.

Belichick obviously coaches all positions. But quarterback was forever Josh McDaniels' realm. Can't remember many times when I've seen Belichick spend an extended period of time talking to a QB like that. https://t.co/T8aHKU13CV
— Phil Perry (@PhilAPerry) August 12, 2022

An up and down night for the defense

It was an unspectacular night for the Patriots defense, but there were some bright spots.

One of them was a forced fumble by cornerback Terrance Mitchell that caused a Giants turnover in the second quarter. Super Bowl XLIX hero Malcolm Butler had the recovery.

https://twitter.com/hashtag/NYGvsNE?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#NYGvsNE on @wbzsports pic.twitter.com/VVCreF9mUF

— New England Patriots (@Patriots) Bailey Zappe has successful debut

Bailey Zappe's first game in a Patriots uniform got off to a shaky start, but the rookie fourth-round draft pick found his groove in the second half.

Zappe started the third quarter with a 36-yard completion to 2021 seventh-round wideout Tre Nixon (four catches, 81 yards).

https://twitter.com/hashtag/NYGvsNE?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#NYGvsNE on NFL Network (or check your local listings)
ð±: Stream on NFL+ https://t.co/cHTGl3RyBM pic.twitter.com/vCrSuVX68y

— NFL Network (@nflnetwork)

https://twitter.com/baileyzappe04?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@baileyzappe04 â¡ï¸ @tre_nixon1

ðº: #NYGvsNE on @wbzsports pic.twitter.com/UIDaAAYuvq

— New England Patriots (@Patriots)

https://twitter.com/Patriots?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Patriots take the lead with 4:51 to go! @MacJones_10 is loving it.@baileyzappe04 | @LJ_Humphrey23

ðº: #NYGvsNE on @NFLNetwork
ð±: Stream on NFL+Â https://t.co/E0QNI4OSYN pic.twitter.com/FWog9Oyt8g

— NFL (@NFL) Tyquan Thornton makes solid first impression

Tyquan Thornton, the Patriots' second-round pick in the 2022 NFL Draft, wasted no time making an impact in his unofficial pro debut.

Thornton scored the Patriots' first points of the preseason with a touchdown reception to finish the first quarter. The former Baylor standout showed off his impressive route-running by battling through a defensive holding penalty for the TD.

https://twitter.com/Humble_Ty19?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Humble_Ty19 | #NYGvsNE

ðº: @wbzsports pic.twitter.com/biUqZxplKm

— New England Patriots (@Patriots) Quiet night for the run game

Other than Harris' goal-line TD, the Patriots couldn't get much of anything going on the ground.

Fourth-round rookie Pierre Strong Jr. had six carries for 25 yards. J.J. Taylor added five carries for 16 yards, and Harris was ineffective outside of his TD as he tallied only nine yards on six carries. Damien Harris and Rhamondre Stevenson had the night off.

New England's run game was a positive takeaway from Tuesday's practice as it started to find success with the outside zone scheme. We didn't see much of that in the preseason opener, so that will be something to monitor going forward as Belichick proceeds with the new-look offense.