New England Patriots at Las Vegas Raiders (8/26, 8:15pm)

Once upon a time the third preseason game was the game you circled on the preseason calendar as the only one worth watching. It was the key dress rehearsal across the league for the regular season with all the healthy starters slotted in for at least the first half. Maybe more. 

These days coaches have all sorts of philosophies about how to use the preseason. Some coaches will wax poetic about the virtues of resting the starters or giving them some run. You can trust that Bill Belichick to not say more than he has to.

Mac Jones got some passes last week (4/8, 61 yards and no score), so he’ll get some passes this week.

What We Learned

No one is saying it outright because it’s the Patriots, but it looks like the offensive play calling duty is landing more on Matt Patricia’s shoulders than Joe Judge’s. Previously the duty had been described as a 50/50 split with a liberal dose of Belichick sprinkled on top. We’ve still got the sprinkles, but, if we’re not reading too deeply into the AP reporting, it sounds like Patricia is the man.

For his part Jones said he thinks Patricia started to find a groove in his new role toward the end of the preseason and that the offense has grown with him.

Neither a direct quote, nor a definitive statement. But the placement of the paraphrase in the AP article is suggestive.

Something To Prove

Speaking of offensive coordinators, Raiders HC is the former offensive coordinator for the Patriots and he’d enjoy a win against his former team, even in the preseason.

You can add a number of former Patriots to that list, including: QB Jarrett Stidham, RB Brandon Bolden, and DE Chandler Jones, among others.

The “revenge” narrative is garbage, but the “We’d love to put our best foot forward in front of former colleagues” narrative is gold.

Position Battles

With New England facing all-world Raiders WR Davante Adams, the spotlight will shine on the Patriots defensive backs. Who is the top cornerback? Matt Dollof of 98.5 The Sports Hub gives us a strategy for sussing it out:

In the past, Bill Belichick would match up his No. 1 cornerback against the opponents’ No. 2 receiver, aiming for a total wipeout of that player. He would then double the top wideout with his No. 2 corner and safety help over the top.

The official depth chart is an unknown, but suppose Adams in WR1 and Renfrow is WR2 on the Raiders. If Dolloff’s thinking holds, the Pats CB on Renfrow will be the top CB on the roster. Paul Perillo of Patriots.com already thinks that player is CB Jalen Mills, so watch to see if Mills lines up across from Renfrow.

For Boston Fans

WATCH: Boston, Mass. WBZ-TV Ch. 4

LISTEN: 98.5 The Sports Hub

#humpFL #foreverNE #raidernation