9 takeaways from Patriots 13-13 preseason tie against Colts

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. – The first preseason game has come and gone, with head coach Mike Vrabel making the decision to sit the starters, providing other players with key opportunities to show what they are capable of and potentially earn a spot.

There was certainly some good, but there was also some bad. So, without further ado….

Here are the takeaways from the Patriots‘ 13-13 preseason tie with the Indianapolis Colts.

If there was one thing the defense continued to do on Thursday night, it was force turnovers. In the first half, the Patriots totaled three, with an interception and two fumble recoveries. It began when rookie edge defender Gabe Jacas helped force Anthony Richardson to throw the ball, with Kindle Vildor intercepting it. Then, Jeremiah Pharms forced a fumble on their own one-yard line, preventing a touchdown, and it was Dell Pettus who recovered. And for the third one in the first half, KJ Britt forced Richardson to fumble, with Isaiah Iton recovering it.

But they didn’t stop there. In the second half, with Riley Leonard taking over at quarterback, safety John Saunders intercepted the second-year quarterback on his second throw of the game. With less than two minutes remaining in the third quarter, Leonard’s fourth-down pass attempt to Anderson Castle was incomplete as Braydn Swinson batted it down, forcing a turnover on downs.

Ben Brown, who is at the top of the Patriots’ guard depth as well as their backup center, went down during the first quarter and was tended to by trainers. He was able to stand on his own, but had to be helped off the field, with his arms around the trainers. Brown went straight into the blue medical tent, but was then helped into the locker room.

Then, in the second half, Andrew Rupcich, who appears to be right behind Brown on the depth chart, went down, and his teammates immediately called over the trainers. He remained down for a bit, but then got up and walked off on his own. Rupcich went right into the blue medical tent, but when he emerged, he stayed on the sidelines with his teammates.
left his defender WAY behind

Williams scored the lone touchdown for the Patriots in their preseason opener on a route that even had his defender confused. While the second-year wide receiver did have an offensive pass interference call, he made up for it with his 12-yard touchdown catch, showing off his impressive release on the vertical route. He also had a 25-yard catch at the end of the first quarter.

Before Thursday, it seemed that Terrell Jennings was the clear front-runner for the third running back spot, but he was placed on season-ending injured reserve, as was UDFA Myles Montgomery. As a result, the team signed JaMycal Hasty. But during the first preseason game, it was rookie Jam Miller who shined, serving as the team’s lead back. Miller finished with 14 attempts for 55 yards, with Hassan Haskins being the closest behind him with five attempts for 15 yards. Hasty also had five attempts, but finished with 11 yards. As for Lan Larison, who was also up there in the RB3 competition, he had seven attempts, but only gained one yard.
‘s one-minute drive

Throughout training camp, it’s really only been Maye and DeVito who have gotten the opportunities to do the two-minute situational drills at the end of practices. But Behren Morton got his opportunity at the end of the game, as he had the ball with 1 minute and 16 seconds remaining following the Colts’ game-tying 61-yard field goal. Here’s how he did:

Complete to Kobe Prentice for 8 yards

Complete to Kobe Prentice for 19 yards

+15 yards after Colts called for unnecessary roughness

Loss of three on a run by Lan Larison

This put the ball within field goal range, with Borregales coming out for the 49-yard attempt.

Andy Borregales got a bunch of live game reps during the first preseason game, many of which were from over 50 yards out. However, he finished 2-for-5, making it from 40 and 52 yards, while missing from 56, 55, and 49 yards. His final miss came after Behren Morton got him within field goal range with the opportunity to win the game.
nowhere to be found

Drake Maye was among a bunch of starters who took the field with the rest of the team in uniform, even though he wasn’t going to play, but missing among them was Christian Gonzalez. The cornerback was also missing from joint practices, with many wondering if it had to do with his ongoing contract negotiations. But before the game, Vrabel said it was all about health.

“Everybody that was healthy practiced,” he said on the 98.5 pregame show. “Those guys, we didn’t deem them healthy enough to go out there and participate. When they’re ready, they’ll be back out there.”

In the first half, Dorner had an impressive catch, making a contested 48-yard grab from a long pass from DeVito. However, the gain was erased due to an ineligible man downfield, but the undrafted free agent receiver wasted no time, making a 17-yard completion on the next play to move the chains.

• Tommy Devito: 13-of-22 for 138 yards | Behren Morton: 7-of-13 for 66 yards.

• Rookie tackle Caleb Lomu played the entire first half. Eli Raridon was the team’s starting tight end with Hunter Henry out.

• WR Kyle Williams took one rep at gunner

• Gabe Jacas and Quintayvious Hutchins started at edge and were replaced by Bradyn Swinson and Jesse Luketa in the second half.

  • Jacas finished the game with four tackles, two of which he recorded while on special teams.

• Among those who didn’t play on offense were Drake Maye, A.J. Brown, Rhamondre Stevenson, TreVeyon Henderson, Romeo Doubs, Hunter Henry, DeMario Douglas, Reggie Gilliam, and the entire starting offensive line. As for defense, all projected starters were out, including Dre’Mont Jones, Milton Williams, Marcus Jones, Craig Woodson, Elijah Ponder, and Cory Durden.

Tommy Devito: 13-of-22 for 138 yards | Behren Morton: 7-of-13 for 66 yards.

Rookie tackle Caleb Lomu played the entire first half. Eli Raridon was the team’s starting tight end with Hunter Henry out.

WR Kyle Williams took one rep at gunner

Gabe Jacas and Quintayvious Hutchins started at edge and were replaced by Bradyn Swinson and Jesse Luketa in the second half.

• Jacas finished the game with four tackles, two of which he recorded while on special teams.

Jacas finished the game with four tackles, two of which he recorded while on special teams.

Among those who didn’t play on offense were Drake Maye, A.J. Brown, Rhamondre Stevenson, TreVeyon Henderson, Romeo Doubs, Hunter Henry, DeMario Douglas, Reggie Gilliam, and the entire starting offensive line. As for defense, all projected starters were out, including Dre’Mont Jones, Milton Williams, Marcus Jones, Craig Woodson, Elijah Ponder, and Cory Durden.

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This article originally appeared on Patriots Wire: 9 takeaways from Patriots 13-13 preseason tie against Colts