FOXBOROUGH — Nobody should expect much excitement in an NFL preseason game. But hopefully the Patriots put on a slightly more entertaining show Thursday night when they host the Eagles in their second game.
Last week’s opener was kind of a dud, even by preseason standards. The Panthers sat their top 33 or so players. The Patriots’ starters were out before the halfway point of the first quarter. Quarterbacks Jacoby Brissett and Drake Maye got just one series each. The game was rainy and slow and didn’t have much offensive punch until Joe Milton came in for the fourth quarter and created some flash with his arm and his legs.
The Eagles probably will sit most of their starters, but the Patriots’ approach to the game is unclear, as coach Jerod Mayo has kept his plans close to the vest. On one hand, the starters got a ton of reps in Tuesday’s joint practice against the Eagles, making the game a good opportunity for the backups to get their work. On the other hand, the Patriots struggled in Tuesday’s practice, so the starters need all the work they can get leading up to Week 1.
Given that uncertainty, here are five things to watch for in Patriots-Eagles:
1. Drake Maye? Hello, let’s see what the kid can do, please.
There was no bigger disappointment a week ago than Maye playing just six snaps against the Panthers. He completed 2 of 3 passes for 19 yards, but was out of the game before you could blink, depriving the viewing public of an opportunity to see how he looks in a game-like situation.
Maye and Washington’s Jayden Daniels were the only two of the six first-round quarterbacks to play fewer than 20 snaps in preseason Week 1, but Daniels, unlike Maye, is going to be his team’s Week 1 starter.
Mayo has said that Maye will get more reps against the Eagles, but that could mean as few as seven. I understand that the Patriots want to go slowly with Maye, but he gets only two more preseason games before hitting the bench. He needs them to work on his game-management skills.
Maye should play close to a half against the Eagles, whether he’s starting or subbing for Brissett. And Milton can close out the game.
2. A rebound for the first team offense. Mayo said the Patriots treated the joint practice like a game. By that standard, it didn’t go well, particularly for the offense. The Patriots committed eight penalties on that side, threw a couple of interceptions, couldn’t execute in the red zone, and couldn’t protect the quarterback, with the offensive line getting dominated by the Eagles’ defensive front.
Brissett said recently that he wanted the Patriots to clean up the things they can control — false starts, holding penalties, lining up, managing the clock. They had done a fairly good job of that before Tuesday. Let’s see if they can clean up the operation for Thursday night.
3. Big plays? The wide receiver depth chart is still crowded after the release of JuJu Smith-Schuster, with seven players plus a still-recovering Kendrick Bourne fighting for five or six spots. But it’s crowded with a bunch of unproven or unproductive receivers, none of whom is looking like a No. 1. Mayo and Eliot Wolf probably can pick five names out of a hat right now.
While the last three weeks of camp weigh heaviest in the player evaluations, the preseason games can serve as a tiebreaker. Let’s see not only which receivers put up stats but whether any of them can show some flash and big-play ability, the kind of stuff that will make the highlight packages and help them stand out from their peers.
4. Offensive tackle. The Patriots have been pretty well set with Vederian Lowe and Calvin Anderson at left tackle, and Chukwuma Okorafor and Caedan Wallace at right tackle for the past 1-2 weeks at practice. But the tackle play also hasn’t been good, and the buzz is that the Patriots know they need reinforcements. Let’s see if they can handle the Eagles’ pass rush better Thursday than they did on Tuesday.
5. Kickers. Joey Slye took the early lead in the competition, hitting a 42-yard field goal in last week’s game, then going 3 for 4 in a last-second drill at practice, nailing kicks from 38, 45, and 52 yards while missing a 52-yarder. Chad Ryland didn’t attempt a field goal against the Panthers, and he went only 2 for 4 in that practice drill, missing both of his 52-yard attempts, including one that sliced badly to the right.
I still believe the Patriots want Ryland to win the competition, but he needs to start making some pressure kicks, starting Thursday.
Ben Volin can be reached at ben.volin@globe.com.