A productive few days of joint practices with the Eagles set the Patriots up for unexpected success when the two teams met for their Week 2 preseason game on Saturday night.
Because their practices leading up to the game were up and down, there wasn't much optimism that they would accomplish much on the field this week. And although there were more moments of "what are they doing?" than being impressed, the right players did the right things at the right time to get the win, and that is worth remembering.
A few of those players needed the spotlight to draw positive attention as roster cuts loom, while others hoped to avoid a forgettable, mistake-riddled game that would make them hard to forget.
That makes it easy to pick out the six best performances of the game, along with the three players who need to have a better week of practices leading up to the preseason finale on Thursday night against the Browns.
The best and worst performances from the Patriots' win over the Eagles
Winner: WR Kyle Williams
The battle to be one of the six receivers that the Patriots will keep on their roster for the 2026 season continues to become more interesting by the day. We already know that A.J. Brown and Romeo Doubs are the top options, but beyond them is a bit more up for grabs.
Until this game, Kyle Williams was looking at a spot at the bottom of the depth chart, as he's had a less-than-stellar training camp showing so far. But after a flashy moment against the Colts last week, he followed it up with a 69-yard touchdown pass from Tommy DeVito in the second quarter, an impressive display of his speed that cannot be ignored.
It was another performance that immediately put him back on the radar, with many fans already predicting the kind of asset he can be for the offense this season, as long as he can continue on this trajectory.
Winner: CB Kindle Vildor
With Christian Gonzalez sidelined due to an injury or a holdout over his contract extension, and Carlton Davis missing time, as well, other cornerbacks have had more time on the practice field to make a name for themselves, and none have done a better job than Kindle Vildor.
He has been a consistent force during training camp and one of the best players on defense over the last two weeks of the preseason.
Vildor hauled in an interception last week to make himself a household name in New England, and did it again against the Eagles, which would've been the only interception of the game had a penalty on Gabe Jacas not negated the play.
He's well on his way to earning the main backup role alongside Marcus Jones, and it's looking like it's his job to lose over the next few weeks.
Loser: Offensive line
Since the starters did not play in this game, the backup linemen were the main focus on offense, and the question was whether they could prove the roster has better depth than the current narrative suggests.
Unfortunately, they weren't able to do that, with Marcus Bryant going down with an ankle injury that immediately kept him out of the game, James Hudson drawing back-to-back holding penalties on an early drive, and Dametrious Crownover getting flagged for a false start later on.
Beyond their mistakes, their questionable performances left little time for the quarterbacks to do their jobs, with DeVito taking three sacks for a loss of 25 yards while adding three carries for 44 yards to his stat sheet.
It was a clear indicator of just how much help the offensive line still needs, and hopefully, the Patriots will address it again before Week 1.
Winner: K Andry Borregales
Inconsistency has been the main issue plaguing kicker Andy Borregales since the Patriots drafted him last year. They clearly liked what they saw from him during the offseason, as they kept him as their starter rather than a veteran, and for the most part, he proved to be exactly what they needed.
The problem is that his sporadic reliability issues reared their ugly head last week when he missed three 50+ yard field goals that would have won them the game, raising concerns that it would continue against the Eagles.
Fortunately, it didn't, and he had a bounce-back performance that helped the team avoid another tie, and now we just have to hope it won't become an issue again next week.
Winner: RB Lan Larison
Perhaps the closest roster competition that the Patriots are currently dealing with is in the running back room. We already know the top starters will be Rhamondre Stevenson and TreVeyon Henderson, but beyond them is up for grabs.
That leaves players like Hassan Haskins, Lan Larison, and Jam Miller actively competing for that RB3 spot, all of whom have traded the favorite to win the role over the past few weeks.
Larison had been the frontrunner for it last year before suffering a season-ending injury, and after last week, it looked like it was Miller's job to lose. But after seeing how much Larison was utilized against the Eagles and thrived in that role, it's looking like the Patriots might be very close to officially naming him as their No. 3 running back.
Loser: EDGE Gabe Jacas
A lot of attention continues to be paid to rookie pass rusher Gabe Jacas for several reasons, most of which center on the wide-open door he has to become the defense's lead sack artist for the upcoming season.
Because he missed so much time with the team over the offseason, there are concerns about how far behind he might be. He's shown some flashes of impressive play over the past two weeks, but his aggressiveness has gotten the better of him a few times, particularly when he drew an unnecessary roughness penalty to negate an interception on Saturday night.
It was an admirable effort that fans and coaches love to see, but a mistake that should have been easy to avoid. And after his unexciting performance against the Colts last week, it wasn't a great follow-up to quiet those who are voicing their worries about what he can do for the defense once the season starts.
Winner: QB Drake Maye
Although he didn't take the field in this game, it's hard to overlook just how improved the offense is going to be for the Patriots and the fact that Drake Maye is going to be the biggest beneficiary of it all.
Sure, there are still some concerns about depth that the higher-ups will need to address before Week 1, but the quarterback is in a much better position to succeed this year than just one year ago, and that's something for everyone, including Maye, to be excited about.
He already put together an MVP-caliber campaign during the 2025 season, and that was with a much less talented group around him than he has going into this year. That certainly raises expectations, and we could see him on the brink of the best season of his career thus far, right in time for his first contract extension next offseason.
Loser: LB Chad Muma
Among the most concerning groups on the entire roster at this stage of the offseason, linebacker might be at the top of the list.
While returning players like Christian Elliss and Robert Spillane bring some veteran experience and leadership to the group, it's clear that they are missing Harold Landry and significant help when they're not on the field.
Chad Muma had been someone to watch for most of the summer, as he consistently stood out at training camp for the best possible reasons. But he hasn't been able to replicate that over the past two weeks, and his performance against the Eagles was not one to remember.
It's becoming an even bigger worry with the regular season right around the corner and no return for Landry in sight. The Patriots need more help in their linebacker room, especially if Muma doesn't rise to the occasion, and unfortunately, their options are limited right now.
Winner: WR Efton Chism III
As Kyle Williams has been in this summer, Efton Chism is another receiver vying for one of the final spots in the receiving corps.
He was in the same predicament last season after signing as an undrafted free agent, but he made the roster because of his versatility. He wasn't used much throughout the year, but is hoping to change that in 2026. And from what we've seen from him this preseason so far, there's a good chance he could steal a final spot.
His connection with rookie QB Behren Morton proved to be valuable against the Eagles, as he recorded four receptions for 45 yards on the night. If he can maintain that kind of production in the preseason finale next week, it would make it more difficult for Mike Vrabel and Co. to cut him.
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