New England Patriots: Five Takeaways From Final Preseason Contest

Aug 28, 2014; East Rutherford, NJ, USA; New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick looks on against the New York Giants during the second quarter at MetLife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Adam Hunger-USA TODAY Sports

5. Preseason is over/Health

After four weeks of what has become pretty dull action, the preseason is finally over. The best time of the year is now upon us, as we get to settle in for a good five and a half months of exciting NFL action. As I mentioned earlier, this Patriots team is shaping up to be very good, and they will definitely be contending for a Super Bowl come January and February.

I also want to mention the injury report from last night, as New England suffered what could be a major, albeit under-the-radar injury. Backup defensive end Michael Buchanan appeared to injure his ankle in this game, and while it wouldn’t be devastating to the Pats season, it would certainly hurt their depth at defensive end.

Last season Chandler Jones and Rob Ninkovich were forced to play over 95% of the defensive snaps, which is not ideal. If Buchanan’s injury is serious, those two may have to play even more in 2014. We will keep you updated on that situation. Rookie linebacker James Morris also sustained an injury yesterday, and what slim chances he had of making the final 53 man roster are probably now gone. I hope he can recover, and find a job elsewhere in the league.