Breakdown: Offense vs. Jaguars

FOXBOROUGH — Football on an actual field with tackling can mean only one thing: We finally get to breakdown film again!

Now, for full disclosure, I don’t have access to the coaches film in the preseason, so I’m making due with the TV telecast (Hey, Patriots, don’t be afraid to throw in a few more replays), so it’s not a complete breakdown. But it’s enough to get a handle on things.

Posted the defense earlier. Here is a look at the offense.

Here’s what we saw:

Overall

Similar to the defense, I thought the offense was solid overall. There was the obvious drive-killing fumble by D.J. Foster, a handful of high throws by Jacoby Brissett and a few issues here and there in the blocking. But for a bunch of backups being thrown together, I thought it was a good performance. Overall, the Patriots had 25.9 percent of their runs stuffed (2 yards or less outside of short yardage), and allowed 24.4 percent pressure on the quarterbacks. Those are all very acceptable numbers, especially the pass blocking. Didn’t record a single drop, and there was only one penalty (false start on offensive tackle Conor McDermott). I would like to think the coaches would be happy with the execution overall.

Quarterbacks

By the end of the night, Jimmy Garoppolo pretty much showed off in every area. There were some clutch throws, he delivered against pressure and threw it where only his receiver (Austin Carr) could catch the ball on the touchdown before halftime. He executed the two-minute drill and made plays on the move when needed. Wouldn’t say he had a high degree of difficulty on most throws, and his receivers (mostly Carr and Jacob Hollister) made several contested catches. Sure, he missed a few throws, including a third-down conversion to Hollister that he needs to have, and he could have a better sense on where he can dump the ball under quick pressure, but Garoppolo showed well. … Brissett’s best plays were when he fought a sack and then completed a pass under duress, and when he threw with great anticipation on the final drive to K.J. Maye. Brissett showed that he still lags in processing the play and throwing in rhythm with the offense, and four of his 13 passes were unnecessarily high. Needs to improve in both areas if he wants to compete for the backup spot.

Running backs

Dion Lewis’ night was better on film than it was in person, perhaps because we remember him at his best. Still, had him for six “plus” plays, including a team-leading three broken tackles. That’s a great sign for Lewis (11 touches, 55 yards) going forward because that’s the area where he differentiates himself from other backs. He was basically flawless. … Brandon Bolden (seven touches, 57 yards) showed his continued value for this team by running with power (two broken tackles) and quickness. Runs within the scheme well by setting up blockers. … LeShun Daniels was decent with a broken tackle. Didn’t have much room with run with the third stringers. … Foster showed great awareness getting out of bounds on the final drive, but the fumble was a killer.

Receivers

Just a sterling performance by this group with 10 standout catches, which is a remarkable number. Breakdown: Hollister (four), Carr (three) and one each from Maye, Devin Lucien and Sam Cotton. The only quibble we had: Hollister not getting out of bounds on the final drive. Not sure how this factors into the deep roster yet, but not sure I’ve ever seen a secondary group of receivers show this well so early. A tip of the cap to the Patriots’ scouts and positional coaches.

Offensive line

There were some breakdowns here and there, but thought this was another group that really showed well in the grand scheme of things. LaAdrian Waddle and McDermott each gave up the most pressure (sack each, two total QB pressures each), but Waddle had three killer blocks in the run game. And, yes, Cam Fleming had some issues (1.5 pressures, stuff), including being pancaked once early by a defensive lineman, but he also had two standout run blocks and keyed Maye’s touchdown on a slip screen. … Ted Karras stood out at times, but he did have his issues, especially on the run where his lack of speed compared to starting center David Andrews stands out. Thought center James Ferentz continued to play well, as he has in practices. Doesn’t look like much, but he can play.



Three up

RB Dion Lewis: Made the most plays in his 24 snaps of work. The best news is that he’s not yet fully back to being his old self. That’s a great sign if it comes.

QB Jimmy Garoppolo: Checked all the boxes. If teams are watching this film, they’re going to start to salivate.

(tie) TE Jacob Hollister, WR Austin Carr: Combined for seven plus catches as they delivered a level of execution that is rarely seen in the first game from one undrafted rookie, let alone two.

Three down

RB D.J Foster: If you’re trying to make the team, you just can’t have a fumble to kill a promising drive.

OT Conor McDermott: Took a step back from the level of play he’s shown in the practices. Had a few issues run and pass blocking, and had a penalty.

QB Jacoby Brissett: Expectations are certainly lowered when he’s playing with guys down the depth chart, but he needs to be more accurate than he showed.