Five takeaways from Patriots' preseason opener vs. Giants originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston
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.
Get Boston local news, weather forecasts, lifestyle and entertainment stories to your inbox. Sign up for NBC Boston’s newsletters.
Perry's Mailbag: Is James White the best back of the Belichick era?
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.
Local
In-depth news coverage of the Greater Boston Area.
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.
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.
