10 instant reactions to the Patriots' hard-fought preseason win over the Eagles

After their first preseason game ended in a tie, in a game that took over three hours to finally end, the Patriots had a couple of days of solid joint practices with their Week 2 opponent, the Philadelphia Eagles.

It was the first time A.J. Brown faced off against his former team, which certainly made headlines, but the best part of those practices was how well Drake Maye and the offense competed, offering plenty of optimism about their potential for the season ahead.

There was hope we would see that continue on Saturday night when they finally faced off in a game, but no starters took the field; instead, fringe players competed for a role on the 2026 roster.

There was plenty to take away from this game, so here are 10 instant reactions to the Patriots' preseason win.

10 takeaways from the Patriots' preseason Week 2 matchup vs. the Eagles

1. Backup right guard Marcus Bryant was injured on the first drive of the game, just one week after the Patriots lost Ben Brown and Andrew Rupcich against the Colts. It's a major blow to their depth, which was already considered a bit thin, and it could be even more devastating if Bryant's ankle injury is serious, as he was having a standout training camp.

2. The run defense was nearly non-existent on the Eagles' first touchdown drive, as they made it down the field in 13 plays with running back Will Shipley making it look easy. The interior defensive line was run all over, which is a major concern about the Patriots' backups.

That unfortunately continued throughout the game, proving further that more moves need to be made if they want to feel comfortable with their current backup options.

3. Backup quarterback Tommy DeVito showed off his speed throughout the game, most notably a 36-yard run in the second quarter.

4. Kindle Vildor is easily winning the role of CB4, even if he had an interception negated due to a flag on Gabe Jacas. He came up with two pass breakups in the second quarter, one of which ended an Eagles drive. Vildor has strung together standout practices and back-to-back impressive showings in the preseason, so we can almost say with certainty that he'll be on this year's roster.

5. For some reason, rookie quarterback Behren Morton was in at punter midway through the second quarter. His first kick went 48 yards, which was quite impressive given he has played quarterback for a number of years. But according to Ethan Hurwitz of OnSI, Morton was a kicker and punter in high school.

6. After scoring the only touchdown for the team last week, Kyle Williams caught a 69-yard bomb from DeVito to score the first touchdown of the night. It was another example of just how fast the second-year receiver is, and if he can show more consistency, there's no reason he can't become an integral part of the offensive game plan this season.

7. Caleb Lomu's strong spring hasn't translated into training camp, and his struggles were on full display in this game. Although he wasn't expected to be a Year 1 starter, it is a bit concerning to see a first-round pick taking more time to develop, especially since he's projected to be the main backup for the offensive line this season.

8. The competition between running backs for the RB3 job is red hot, and it doesn't appear to be ending any time soon. One minute it looks like it's Jam Miller's job to lose; the next, Lan Larison is back on the radar, adding a touchdown in the fourth quarter this week.

In this game, we even saw Hassan Haskins make an impact, and now he's another name thrown into the mix moving forward.

9. Andy Borregales had a much better showing than he did against the Colts, making a 41-yard field goal for the first points of the game, and hitting both extra points after touchdowns. Questions about his consistency remain, but this was a good bounce-back from a disastrous Week 1.

10. Rookie quarterback Behren Morton turned up the heat on the backup QB competition after presumably headed toward being put on the practice squad for the upcoming season. His impressive 37-yard touchdown pass to Nick DeGennaro brought the Patriots out in front with just 57 seconds left, after leading the offense down the field in11 plays.

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