The New England Patriots moved to 2-0 in the preseason with a 37-20 win over the Philadelphia Eagles. The undeniable star of the show was the Patriots shiny, new defense as the squad racked up eight sacks, 11 quarterback hits, one interception, and one fumble recovered for a touchdown. Although the defense provides much to be excited about, the week two preseason showing still left much to be desired from pieces on both sides of the ball. Here are the highlights and lowlights of the Patriots preseason week 2 contest against the Eagles.

Winners and Losers from Patriots Preseason Week 2

Winners

Defensive Front

Any concerns about a lack of chemistry along the defensive line can be put to bed after the show they put on today. Adrian Clayborn heard all those trepidations about his statistical inconsistency and decided to take his frustration out on the Eagles backfield. Clayborn and Deatrich Wise Jr. flashed speed and aggression in the pass rush, the likes of which have been rare in New England. Derek Rivers, who sat out the 2017 season, displayed excellent leverage and durability, remaining on the field late in the game.

Together, this squad, with the inclusion of Danny Shelton, crashed the pocket again and again. Nick Foles was under siege throughout the first half until a strip sack by Clayborn sent him to the sideline. Despite a host of new faces in the defensive front, the defense showed up with a trademark Patriots “bend, don’t break” moment at the goal line early in the game. With eight sacks on the night, the Patriots pass rush might finally be the fearsome front it needed to be.

Stephen Gostkowski

Stephen Gostkowski will always be a quiet MVP on this team, but his hustle to force Shelton Gibson out of bounds on a kickoff was worth applauding. He earns an extra bravo for taking Gibson’s shoe to the helmet and remaining perfect through the uprights on the night.

Jacob Hollister

Jacob Hollister is making his best case for a better spot on the tight ends depth chart. As a receiver, he stayed open for much of the first half, despite few looks from Tom Brady. His catch toward the end of the second quarter was clean and secure, even after slamming his shoulder into De’Vante Bausby.

He followed up with a crucial block that allowed James White to rip off a terrific run for six. Hollister has improved significantly since last year. If he can establish a consistent blocking game, it will be bad news for Dwayne Allen.

Ja’Whaun Bentley

A scoop-and-score. A pass breakup in the end zone. A handful of tackles. Ja’Whaun Bentley was everywhere tonight. Although there is always room for improvement, Bentley delivered a terrific performance alongside some high-profile first-teamers.

Keionta Davis

If there is one word to describe Keionta Davis‘ performance tonight, it is relentless. Davis crashed the pocket nearly as much as Clayborn and Wise and wound up with a sack and a half on the day. His constant pressure on Foles and Nate Sudfeld elevated play across the defensive front. Davis was disruptive and quick, exploding across the line and making good use of his hands to force blockers backward into the quarterbacks’ safe zone.

Losers

Riley McCarron

Riley McCarron served as the primary returner for the night as he tried to make his case for a spot on the roster. Since the wide receiver depth chart above him is stacked with talent, McCarron’s only hope to make the 53-man roster is on special teams. Unfortunately for McCarron, he failed to make his case.

On four punt returns, McCarron totaled only 15 yards. When he actually decided to take the ball upfield, he chose poorly and failed to make it more than seven yards on his longest return. With returners like Julian Edelman and Cordarrelle Patterson on the roster, McCarron will likely find himself relegated to the practice squad.

The Receiving Corps

The offense looked off all night, despite a beautiful performance from Brady. Chris Hogan dropped a dart right to his chest in open field. Eric Decker did not catch either ball thrown his way. On a couple of occasions, Patterson reminded us why he is better known for his speed than his hands. Phillip Dorsett only pulled in one of his three targets.

In the first half, Brady was already in mid-season form, screaming at his receivers to do better. That is not a good sign for a squad that will be without Edelman for the first month of the regular season.

Keion Crossen

What a bad night for Keion Crossen. First, he nets two pass interference calls in quick succession in the second quarter, including one in the end zone. Then, he’s beat for a big gain, putting Philadelphia in the red zone at the end of the second quarter. Making things even worse, Krossen later earned his third pass interference penalty, his second in the end zone. With three seconds left in the half, Crossen dropped a gift-wrapped goal-line interception.

And Bill Belichick still made him play the second half. Poor guy. To his credit, he had some quality wrap-ups in the middle of the third quarter and actually led the team in total tackles. Unfortunately, that will not be enough to keep Crossen on the 53-man roster.

Isaiah Wynn

The Patriots first-round draft pick, Isaiah Wynn, was pushed backward into Brady early in the game and wound up limping off the field. Much to everyone’s dismay, Wynn went in the medical tent before being carted away. The former Georgia Bulldog is reported to have suffered an ankle injury.

The NFL’s Helmet Rule

The Helmet Rule is going to be the bane of the 2018 season, and it’s inconsistency like that shown tonight that will force this rule out of use as soon as possible. Bill Vinovich and crew seemed to be doing their best to make sure the rule came into play, but the lines between what was and what was not a penalty flexed and blurred as the game went on. The preseason should be the time to hammer out what exactly this rule constitutes. However, it seems that the referees are no closer to figuring this out than the fans are.

Draw

Cordarrelle Patterson

Patterson displayed his trademark speed on several plays up the sideline. His juke which left a defender tackling air is already earmarked for the Patriots pre-game hype reel. But Patterson failed to catch almost as many passes as he caught, and his sideline awareness was questionable. His usefulness in offensive sets seems doomed to mirror Dorsett’s.

Main photo:
Embed from Getty Images