Patriots players to watch versus Titans in Week 2 of preseason
By Brendan Howe
With the regular season approaching, it’s becoming crunch-time for some roster hopefuls… here’s who to keep an eye on in Week 2 of the NFL preseason.
New England raided Detroit in the first week of NFL preseason action, coming out relatively unscathed and full of moxie after a 31-3 beatdown. It’s still early and it was only an exhibition, but it was still a game that revealed a real glimpse into the future, with rookies showing Patriots fans just what they’re capable of.
With the pre-season reaching it’s halfway point this week, the Patriots will travel to Tennessee to take on the Titans and old friend Mike Vrabel.
The two squads faced off in the regular season last year, with the Titans getting the better of the eventual champions by a score of 34-10. This time around, the stakes are much less significant.
Here’s who you should keep your eyes peeled for on the field this Saturday evening:
QB Tom Brady
Occasionally, although not often, Bill Belichick will give Tom Brady a series or two in the second preseason game. If it happens, it won’t likely be anything off the charts, as it will only be a tune-up as the clock ticks down to the regular season. Don’t hold your breath, but there’s always a chance No. 12 sneaks onto the field.
From one QB to another, Jarrett Stidham made a name for himself with a hefty amount of playing time at Ford Field in Week 1 of the preseason. He showed great poise in the pocket and delivered a slew of strong, accurate passes to teammates across the middle… and even put some touch on the ball down the sidelines on occasion. For the night, the former Auburn signal-caller completed 14 of his 24 pass attempts for 179 yards and a touchdown. Set aside some time to watch the rookie run the offense; you might find yourself pretty impressed.
Jakobi Meyers, an undrafted free agent, has received a ton of praise throughout training camp in Foxborough from both the media and from coaches. He then took it one step further with an eye-popping performance in Week 1 of the preseason. Hauling in six passes for 69 yards and two touchdowns, he was rather impressive, showing good bursts of speed over the middle and strong hands as well. With another solid performance this week, he could be on his way to securing a spot on the final 53-man roster.
WR N’Keal Harry
Unlike Meyers, N’Keal Harry was the Patriots’ first-round selection in this year’s NFL Draft… and it’s no secret he is expected to make the jump right into Brady’s immediate ‘circle of trust’. With Rob Gronkowski gone, the offense will need a burst of young talent to step up and help Brady. Harry could be that guy, and he showed flashes of his sky-high potential last week with a couple of spectacular grabs along the sideline on throws from backup QB Brian Hoyer. Harry came up limping on one of the latter catches and was forced out of the game, perhaps more as a precaution than anything. It’s believed he’s dealing with an ailing hamstring, but if he does find himself on the field this weekend, you can bet he will receive a lot of attention from the Titans secondary.
OL Dan Skipper
Skipper is another youngster who finds himself in a heated battle for a spot up front in this Patriots offense. Protecting a 42-year-old quarterback is no small job, and Skipper is trying to earn a spot amongst many others this summer. For a line that was plagued by injury for a majority of 2018, it will be interesting to see just who makes the cut this time around… especially now that former first-round pick Isaiah Wynn is supposedly back to full strength.
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The Defense
We lump them all together here for a reason, and it’s because the Patriots defense has been so highly-praised and chatted about through much of the offseason and into training camp as a group that should be among the elite in the entire NFL. They tallied nine sacks as a team against the Lions a week ago – getting heavy pressure on just about every snap – and made things uncomfortable for everyone on the opposing offense. Granted, it’s the other squad’s second and third-stringers, but still, it was a very encouraging performance. Let’s see if lightning can strike twice, this time in Music City this weekend.