The New England Patriots and Detroit Lions opened up their preseasons last night. The Patriots beat down the Lions 31-3. The Lions were being booed of the field by the home crowd at halftime.

THE UGLY:

Offensive Line Penalties

James Ferentz got hit with two penalties last night. Both of them on what would have been big gains. Ted Karras also took an unnecessary penalty early in the game. They did improve as people started shuffling but some game one woes on the line are never good.

THE BAD:

WR N’Keal Harry Injury

Harry has been dealing with a hamstring injury during all of camp. When I saw him on the field early in the game I was confused. I get that he needs reps but this wasn’t the time to do it. He re-aggravated his knee after just two catches and wasn’t seen again.

Tight Ends

Besides two catches by Matt Lacosse, they just couldn’t get open. These are the starters moving into the season and they couldn’t beat the third and fourth stringers for Detroit. I’m not looking for a Rob Gronkowski replacement, I’m just looking for a Tight End who can do his job effectively.

Tom Brady

It was weird to see Tom Brady get wicked excited for Brian Hoyer and his success. Add into the fact that when Jarrett Stidham started going on a roll, he just looked annoyed. With everything surrounding Brady and his contract, that’s not the best look for him.

THE GOOD:

Jerod Mayo

Mayo was clearly making the play calls on defense. The pass rush was there all day. His play calls seemed to be perfect all night with very little mistakes. Mayo may not be the defensive coordinator but he looked like he should put a bid in for the job with his performance last night:

Pass Rush

The Patriots ended the game with eight sacks and one interception that was by John Simon as he jumped up over the Offensive Linemen to pull the ball out of the air. There’s a lot going well for their front seven already.

Brandon Bolden

Bolden found ways to keep upright and keep the ball moving forward the entire time he was in the game. In his second stint with the Patriots, he will be on a short leash given the depth at Running Back this team has. His 41 yards on 12 attempts was a good start.

Brian Hoyer

When was the last time Brian Hoyer looked that good? He went 12 for 14 with 147 yards and two touchdowns. He was dead on accurate the entire night. He threw into some Brady like pockets. He put the ball where only the receiver could get it. In his five years as a starter, we only ever say small glimpses of this out of him.

Jacobi Meyers

The undrafted rookie free agent opened a lot of eyes in New England last night. His six catches on eight targets for 69 yards and two touchdowns really helped open the game up.

Picture Source: Patspulpit.com

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