Pats at Texans: 10 things to watch

The last time they were in Houston, the Patriots played one of the most dramatic games in NFL history, coming away with their fifth Super Bowl title. This time around? The game doesn’t have near as much on the line. But there’s no shortage of stuff for New England fans to watch for Saturday night in the second preseason game of the summer against the Texans (8 p.m. ET kick). Here’s what we’ll be keeping an eye on:



1. The quarterbacks (Nos. 12, 10, and 7): Tom Brady is going to play. The question is how much for a few reasons, not the least of which is the fact that the Patriots are going into this one without starting left tackle Nate Solder against one of the better defensive fronts in the NFL. The gut feeling here is that we’ll see Brady for two series and maybe a third, depending how much New England wants to push it. It depends on how things shake out, but two series would be just short of what we’ve usually seen from him in the second preseason game over the years. Jimmy Garoppolo has been trending in the right direction over the last week, and another good game (especially against the Houston defense) would certainly silence the critics who jumped on him at the start of training camp. Jacoby Brissett should see the bulk of the duty in the fourth quarter.

2. The veteran receivers (Nos. 11, 14, 15, 19 and 80): The top five receivers on New England’s depth chart — Julian Edelman, Brandin Cooks, Chris Hogan, Malcolm Mitchell and Danny Amendola — all sat last week against the Jaguars. It’s not like any of them really need the work, but it would be fun to see what they might be able to do with Brady in a game situation. Edelman hasn’t seen much preseason action the last few seasons (he hasn't played in nine of the last 13 preseason games), so it would be a surprise if he was out there. But the idea of at least one deep ball Saturday from Brady and Cooks would certainly get the blood flowing.

3. Offensive tackle Cameron Fleming (No. 71): Nate Solder won’t play, La Adrian Waddle is reportedly in the concussion protocol and rookie Tony Garcia is banged up. That leaves Fleming as the only semi-experienced left tackle on the roster. He’s been underwhelming to this point in the summer, but should get a pretty good test from the likes of the powerful Houston defensive front. (Maybe we’ll see some help in the form of extra reps for fullback James Develin or an extra tight end in heavy sets?)

4. Running back Dion Lewis (No. 33): Much was made about the usage of the veteran back in the preseason opener — on a night where many veterans saw little or no action, he played 23 snaps against the Jaguars, tied for the most of any Patriots running back. But watching him, it was important to remember the words of running backs coach Ivan Fears, who stressed before the start of camp that Lewis was still working his way back from the devastating knee injury he suffered in 2015. Frankly, the Jacksonville contest represented an excellent chance for him to get more reps as he continued to builds his way back to his pre-injury form. That being said, it’ll be interesting to watch how things break down Saturday for Lewis and the rest of the backs.

5. Linebacker Trevor Bates (No. 44): The Maine product has been on an upswing over the last week or so with some solid performances in the joint practices with the Texans. He got some run with the first team on Wednesday, and was an active presence, coming away with some good pressures on the quarterback and showing a nice ability to drop into coverage when needed. He faces an uphill battle to crash the upper reaches of the depth chart, but a positive outing against the Texans would certainly help his cause and potentially force the coaching staff into making a tough decision when it comes to cutdown day.

6. Wide receiver Austin Carr (No. 84)/Tight end Jacob Hollister (No. 48): The two kids who shone brightest in the preseason opener against Jacksonville will have a chance to build on their performance this weekend against the Texans. Carr is still trying to get separation from the rest of the potential receivers at the back end of the depth chart (namely, Devin Lucien), while Hollister is trying to do the same at the tight end position. Even if its in garbage time — the veterans will play more this time around than they did in the opener — it will help their cause the race for a roster spot.

7. The fight for the third tight end spot: Despite what happened last week, Hollister still faces a challenge for the lone spot behind Rob Gronkowski (who hasn’t played in a preseason game since 2012 and certainly won’t start Saturday) and Dwayne Allen. Matt Lengel didn’t practice last week, which means it’s unlikely he’ll play. But James O’Shaughnessy’s special teams skills could give him an edge on Hollister at the back end of the depth chart.

8. Defensive ends/edge defenders: With so many banged up players on the edge, Saturday night should be an excellent opportunity for the likes of Geneo Grissom, Caleb Kidder and others to get some run. With Derek Rivers potentially on the shelf for the season and Deatrich Wise expected to miss the contest against the Texans, the second half could be an open audition for some back-end-of-the-roster candidates to make their mark. The candidates won’t just be the defensive linemen currently on the roster, but versatile linebackers like Shea McClellin, Kyle Van Noy and Harvey Langi, all of whom could potentially bring their talents to the edge.

9. Defensive back/return man Cyrus Jones (No. 41): The Alabama product followed a sour finish to the 2016 season with a rough start in the preseason opener. Whether it’s working as a punt returner or cornerback, he needs to start showing some urgency. (While we’re talking about defensive backs that need to show a sense of urgency, we’d also throw Jordan Richards in there. His spot on the final 53 is in danger.)

10. Josh McDaniels/Matt Patricia: For the coordinators, the goal is to continue to get up to speed on both sides of the ball in advance of opening night, but not show too much in advance of the regular-season contest between these same two teams on Sept. 24 in Foxboro. It won’t be vanilla for New England, but don’t expect the Patriots to get too exotic. The only thing that might pop up? Bill Belichick loves to throw a curveball at his team in the preseason to see how they might respond if they were faced with a stressful situation. That’s why you occasionally see guys yanked for a few plays before returning to the lineup. The coach might be inclined to try something a little out of the ordinary as a way to provide a test for his team.