3 big positives from the Patriots' loss to the Eagles in preseason Week 2

The Patriots lost to the Philadelphia Eagles last week. That ain't good. But there were some key positives, not just ho-hum positives, but real, honest-to-goodness positives from that game. And yes, that, even though few players of consequence even played for the "Iggles."

The Eagles are miles ahead of the Patriots, any way you look at it. They are Super Bowl contenders; the Patriots are contenders for last place. New personnel head Eliot Wolf's offseason to rival Bill Belichick's worst is the reason. But that notwithstanding, good things were evident against Philly.

The three to be centered upon here could have long-term positive consequences for the New England Patriots. Since the front office seems to have cashiered this season already, those are the only ones we may have to hang our hats on. Let's take a look.

The first positive is the Patriots' most important position on the field

The quarterback in the NFL is the main man. If you have one, you can win. If not, you won't. It's as simple as that. Drake Maye played significant minutes against Philadelphia. After a top performance in a cameo against Carolina the week before, Maye was even better last week.

Last week, Maye showed he could make every throw in the playbook. He was terrific. His grade went from an A+ to an A++ in a week. If you see a trend there, fine. The more he plays, the better he'll get, and the team will be.

Maye again showed veteran poise. He roped a laser completion over the middle, but even more impressive were two passes he didn't complete. Maye dropped dimes onto Devon Baker's hands downfield twice. Admittedly, they were both tough catches. But a top NFL receiver makes both. He muffed both.

That notwithstanding, Maye lofted those passes right onto his receiver's hands, where no defensive back could pick them off. Unfortunately, this exemplifies one of the new personnel head, Eliot Wolf's most important offseason gaffes, not securing a No. One receiver.

To top off his night, Maye showed a characteristic that no Patriots quarterback has had for decades: the ability to run. He took a snap and easily waltzed into the end-zone on a four-yard scamper for a TD. Nice.

Two more positives for the Patriots vs Philly

A second positive was using Keion White inside as a defensive tackle. White was deployed as an outside rusher (made more imperative, unfortunately, by the ill-advised trade of Matt Judon) and also inside. His ability as an edge rusher is solid. He's very effective there.

Yet, this best position is playing inside in a gap. Coupled with Christian Barmore, who unfortunately is out with a health issue, the pair would have been devastating. Now, playing inside, he assumes Barmore's role as the pocket-collapsing option on the defensive line. No one else can. White excelled there against Philadelphia.

The two positives noted already are the gist of the third, Head Coach Jerod Mayo's astute deployment of those two players. Mayo finally unleashed Maye, and after, for whatever reason or whoever had made the decision the previous week, he was kept mainly on the bench.

Maye was the third pick overall in the draft. He has to start. Now, we've seen that when he does, he excels. Whatever the bogus justification for keeping him on the pine is/was, let it go. Maye should just play.

He's already proven he's the team's best QB. Mayo seems to be getting it, though he persists in not giving the precocious rookie all the first-team practice snaps. Both Maye and Mayo are works in progress, but Mayo needs to decide to roll with the rookie.

The second component of Mayo's good decision-making against Philadelphia was the deployment of Keion White at defensive tackle, as noted above. Mayo has seen that his pocket-crushing ability is unique on the Patriots now that Barmore is out. To his credit, he used him brilliantly, inside lots of the time and outside, as well, on occasion. Perfect.

Those are three positives from the loss to the second team of Philadelphia. The teams are that far apart in talent. Yet, these positives give future hope. If Maye is the quarterback and the Patriots can straighten out their terrible offensive line and add a pass-rusher, anything is possible. After all, Mac Jones made the playoffs in 2021, and Drake Maye is much better.

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