The Third Act.

[Soapy]

Patriots get ready for preseason finale, Super Bowl rematch
The New England Patriots will put a bow on their preseason when they host Super Bowl champions Seattle Seahawks in a rematch of last year's Super Bowl

Russell Wilson threw for 306 yards and three touchdowns in three quarters of football to beat the Patriots 35-21 in their last preseason matchup before facing off again a few months later in the Super Bowl.

It was a big week for Quinnen Williams in practice who got the better of Geoff Mann a few times during one-on-one reps and even got the better of Laken Tomlinson during some full team periods. In general, the defense won the week with Jaire Alexander picking off Mac Jones and J.C. Jackson nearly coming down with a few himself.

Later in the week, the offense started to get it going, particularly when going up against the second unit of corners with Curtis Williams and Rasul Douglas having a tough day against Kenny Golladay and Rondale Moore. Williams and Douglas are among those in the roster bubble as cut day looms with sixteen cuts on the horizon.

Figuring out whose the Z receiver opposite of Charleston Rambo
Neither Odell Beckham Jr. or Kenny Golladay have had an impactful preseason with Golladay failing to register a catch and Beckham Jr. playing just 25 snaps through two games.

The first team offense is slated to play most of the game, giving a better insight into who exactly is New England's starting trio at receiver with Charleston Rambo and Rondale Moore.

New England tried to get Zeke Fowler going last week with an increased workload but he still finished with just one reception for 18 yards. Quite frankly, no receiver has flashed much with Dre Agnew catching 21 of the 50 completed passes this season. No other receiver has more than four with Moore catching all four passes last week.

New England tinkers with the offensive line
At a few points this week, Michael Onwenu bumped out from his usual left guard spot to play right tackle and Eric Alexander moved from center to left guard while Geoff Mann and rookie Lane Mitchell rotated at center.

It could have been a load management decision for usual right tackle Trent Brown whose played more than expected this preseason with 47 snaps, more than younger players such as Alexander and Trent Patterson.

Brown is 32 year old and on the last year of his contract so this could also be a look into New England's vision of the offensive line of the future as they are extremely high on Alexander, Patterson and the rookie Mitchell.

Roster Bubble Watch: The Race to 53
Shortly after the game against Seattle, New England will need to release sixteen players in order to reach the 53-man roster limit and potentially more in case, similar to last season, they add players to their roster that were cut from other teams.

The first eleven are relatively easy with quarterbacks Thomas Miller and Derrick Samuel, running back John Rhys Plumlee, fullbacks Caleb Saunders and Colt Bentley, receivers Miles Young and Quentin Clancy, offensive tackle Daniel Allen, offensive guard Rahlik Mills, defensive tackle Sterling Burris and cornerback Curtis Williams as they have barely played this preseason after entering training camp as mostly camp bodies.

The next five are a bit tricky as there are a few options depending on how New England wants to construct the roster. Perhaps the most notable of names on the bubble is quarterback George Abraham who has been good this preseason but is still a potential practice squad candidate if New England only wants to carry two quarterbacks on the active roster.

There's the trio of veteran receivers in Kenny Golladay, Jarvis Landry and Odell Beckham Jr. who haven't done much this preseason along with a late add to the roster before training camp in Zeke Fowler. New England could choose to carry all six but if they choose not to, one of them could be on the chopping block.

It's a similar situation at EDGE where Jonathan Garvin and DeAngelo Malone round out a unit with six players on the roster at a position where four or five could do the trick. Malone has been good while Garvin is probably the most natural 4-3 defensive end of the backups so he could add some value.

Interior offensive linemen Geoff Mann, Nick Ford and Matt Jones are also on the chopping block in the event that New England decides to carry a tight roster at offensive line with just eight guys.

[Soapy]

Mac throws three touchdowns in a half as Patriots rout Seahawks in Super Bowl rematch
It ultimately won't mean anything but after months of stewing over their Super Bowl loss to the Seattle Seahawks, the New England Patriots got to play host to the Seahawks and return the favor, handily beating them 37-3 in a game where the Seahawks starters played nearly the entire game.

It was just a half of action for Mac Jones and most of New England's starters who jumped out to a 27-3 lead in the first half which included three passing touchdowns for Jones, all to new receivers in Rondale Moore, Kenny Golladay and Zeke Fowler. Charleston Rambo also caught three passes for 79 yards.

New England's defense blanketed Russell Wilson who completed just half of his passes for 123 yards with an interception to Trez Marshall who also sacked Wilson. The running game didn't fare much better and neither did backup quarterback and former first round pick Brian Otting who averaged just 4.5 yards per completion.

The offense starting to take shape following a half of football
After resting some players throughout the preseason, New England had almost its entire projected first team offense out on the field for the first half, notably Kenny Golladay starting the game in place of Odell Beckham Jr. and being targeted twice in the first drive.

It ended with an interception on a pass intended to Darnell Washington but prior to it, Jones had passed for 51 yards in his first two throws. They'd come back and score on all of their remaining drives with Jones spreading the ball around, even to second-year player Zeke Fowler on a deep touchdown pass where he used his six-foot-five frame to box out the receiver at the goal-line.

Even with all of the explosive passing plays, New England still rushed for 175 yards with Damien Harris making his debut, leading the way with 79 yards which were aided by Kenneth Walker's 45 yards and Kenny McIntosh's 22 yards.

When New England is running the ball that well, it's going to be hard to defend them on the perimeter with guys like Moore, Rambo and Golladay who can make plays down the field.

The defense showed up and showed up big time against the 'Hawks
Outside of a 54-yard jump ball to the six-foot-six Johnny Wilson, Seattle had no answers for New England's defense which was relatively vanilla yet effective.

The rushing defense has been special this preseason, to the point that teams give up on the run with Seattle rushing the ball just eight times for 34 yards. New England lives on the other side of the line of scrimmage with eight tackles for loss on the night led by Christian Barmore on the inside and Keilan Britt on the outside with two apiece.

They made plays in the secondary with five pass breakups and an incredibly acrobatic catch by Trez Marshall.

What to make of the duds by Jarvis Landry and Odell Beckham Jr?
Neither made an impact all preseason with tonight being no different as they both finished without a catch and both with a drop.

Landry's also been a non factor in the return game, averaging 3.5 yards per return tonight on two returns. With Fowler flashing tonight and Miles Young at least having some speed on the outside to add, it's becoming harder and harder to justify their roster spots for this season if they're not going to be a reliable pair of hands.

Who earned playing time (and who lost it) and who earned a roster spot (and who lost it)
Starting with the positive, Dre Agnew continues to be a positive with four catches for 64 yards and a touchdown with the touchdown coming with the second team offense.

It was also a good night for Lance Mitchell, who got the start at center with Eric Alexander starting at left guard and Michael Onwenu replacing Trent Brown at right tackle who played some in the second half. With Brown under contract through this season, it's at least good to know that Mitchell can hold his own in case Brown or someone else goes down with an injury.

Roster spot wise, George Abraham likely secured his as New England gave each young quarterback in Abraham, Derrick Samuel (1 of 2 for 30 yards), and Thomas Miller (1 of 2 for 8 yards) a drive with Abraham being the last and only one to lead a scoring drive, going 3 of 5 for 40 yards with the touchdown strike to Agnew.

It'll be interesting to see if the touchdown catch -- and his size -- is enough for Fowler to secure a roster spot and how the receiver situation shakes out between Fowler, Landry, Beckham Jr, Miles Young and Quentin Clancy. Rasul Douglas also continues to shine at corner with a pass breakup and some special teams tackle as similar to Fowler, he brings a different dynamic to the room at corner with his size.

It was a tough outing for Geoff Mann as there was a noticeable drop off at center when Mitchell left the game. With the drafting of Mitchell, the former fifth round pick's spot is in question as teams typically don't carry three centers on the roster although New England did last season with Robert Hainsey.

[Soapy]

Green Bay Packers acquire OT Trent Brown in trade with New England Patriots
For the third preseason in a row, the New England Patriots have traded away a veteran offensive lineman, this time offensive tackle Trent Brown to the Green Bay Packers in exchange for a first round and third round pick in 2026 and a third round pick in 2027.

According to an ESPN report, New England started shopping Brown around shortly after OTAs when the veteran was 'unsettled' with New England's decision to keep him at right tackle following Isaiah Wynn's trade to Washington.

Pittsburgh, Baltimore, San Francisco, Atlanta, Cleveland and the Los Angeles Rams were among the teams interested with Green Bay winning the bidding by adding an additional third round pick to solidify Jordan Love's blindside.

Brown was the last remaining member of the 2018 New England Patriots offensive line that guided their running game to the Super Bowl with LG Joe Thuney leaving via free agency and the trade of C David Andrews, RG Shaq Mason and RT Marcus Cannon.

J.C. Jackson and Jonathan Jones are the last members of that roster still with New England.

[Soapy]

Patriots finalize 53-man roster, release depth chart
The New England Patriots have trimmed their roster to 53 men with the release of sixteen players.

There were no surprises although linebacker Jaylon Smith, who was a key contributor on last year's defense, was released and wide receiver Zeke Fowler, who had a highlight reel touchdown in the preseason finale, was demoted to the practice squad.

The Patriots also released their first official depth chart of the season with Michael Onwenu getting the start at right tackle over Trent Brown, sliding Eric Alexander to left guard and rookie Lance Mitchell getting the start at center.

New England additionally signed offensive tackle Pierce Quick to their active squad and cornerback Clark Phillips III to their practice squad. Quick was a first round pick by Kansas City in 2023 but failed to register a single start in the past two seasons prior to his release. Phillips III was a third round pick by Buffalo in the same draft.

Players Cut

• QB Derrick Samuel*
• QB Thomas Miller
• HB John Rhys Plumlee
• FB Colt Bentley
• FB Caleb Saunders*
• WR Quentin Clancy*
• WR Miles Young*
• WR Zeke Fowler*
• T Daniel Allen
• T Vederian Lowe
• T Martinas Rankin
• G Rahlik Mills
• G Nick Ford
• DT Sterling Burris
• LB Jaylon Smith
• CB Curtis Williams*

*Signed to practice squad

2025 New England Patriots Roster
QB
#10 Mac Jones, 26 | 6'3", 217lbs | 88 ovr, 71 spd, 84 acc, 92 awr, 88 thp, 94 sac, 92 mac, 91 dac
#9 Matthew Stafford, 37 | 6'3", 220lbs | 71 ovr, 76 spd, 77 acc, 82 awr, 87 thp, 82 sac, 71 mac, 83 dac
#14 George Abraham, 22 | 6'3", 237lbs | 62 ovr, 85 spd, 88 acc, 57 awr, 87 thp, 80 sac, 71 mac, 83 dac (rookie)

HB
#37 Damien Harris, 28 | 5'10", 213lbs | 84 ovr, 90 spd, 92 acc, 99 car, 88 btk, 89 trk
#6 Kenny McIntosh, 22 | 6'0", 206lbs | 73 ovr, 92 spd, 92 acc, 80 car, 73 btk, 80 spm, 81 jkm, 71 cth
#25 Kenneth Walker III, 24 | 5'10", 210lbs | 75 ovr, 92 spd, 91 acc, 90 car, 83 btk, 85 trk
#26 Kene Nwangwu, 27 | 6'0", 210lbs | 74 ovr, 95 spd, 95 acc, 86 car, 75 spm, 83 jkm

FB
#86 Nick Boyle, 32 | 6'4", 270lbs | 77 ovr, 74 spd, 85 acc, 65 pbk, 73 rbk, 58 lbk, 72 ibl

WR-X
#11 Charleston Rambo, 26 | 6'1", 175lbs | 78 ovr, 94 spd, 90 acc, 83 cth

WR-Z
#19 Kenny Golladay, 31 | 6'4", 213lbs | 81 ovr, 90 spd, 89 acc, 85 cth
#3 Odell Beckham Jr, 32 | 5'11", 198lbs | 75 ovr, 93 spd, 92 acc, 76 cth

WR-Y
#4 Rondale Moore, 25 | 5'7", 181lbs | 86 ovr, 95 spd, 92 acc, 95 cth
#80 Jarvis Landry, 32 | 5'11", 196lbs | 78 ovr, 87 spd, 91 acc, 82 cth

TE
#1 Darnell Washington, 23 | 6'7", 270lbs | 80 ovr, 84 spd, 87 acc, 88 cth, 64 rbk
#85 Dre Agnew, 22 | 67 ovr, 85 spd, 88 acc, 79 cth, 59 rbk (rookie)
#88 Harrison Bryant, 27 | 6'4", 243lbs | 73 ovr, 82 spd, 88 acc, 83 cth, 64 rbk

LT
#73 Tyler Patterson, 23 | 6'5", 313lbs | 75 ovr, 89 str, 81 pbk, 68 rbk

LG
#50 Eric Alexander, 22 | 6'4", 324lbs | 78 ovr, 85 str, 79 pbk, 80 rbk
#65 Matt Jones, 24 | 6'5", 313lbs | 70 ovr, 80 str, 70 pbk, 77 rbk

C
#64 Lane Mitchell, 21 | 6'3", 299lbs | 72 ovr, 90 str, 77 pbk, 75 rbk (rookie)
#68 Geoff Mann, 24 | 6'4", 320lbs | 68 ovr, 80 str, 76 pbk, 77 rbk

RG
#75 Laken Tomlinson, 33 | 6'3", 312lbs | 80 ovr, 86 str, 82 pbk, 81 rbk

RT
#71 Michael Onwenu, 27 | 6'3", 350lbs | 90 ovr, 94 str, 80 pbk, 87 rbk
#70 Pierce Quick, 24 | 6'5", 309lbs | 76 ovr, 93 str, 80 pbk, 79 rbk

DT
#95 Quinnen Williams, 26 | 6'3", 303lbs | 97 ovr, 79 spd, 88 acc, 95 str, 85 pmv, 76 fmv, 92 bsh
#90 Christian Barmore, 25 | 6'4", 310lbs | 90 ovr, 73 spd, 83 acc, 95 str, 73 pmv, 80 fmv, 89 bsh

DE
#98 Jalyn Holmes, 29 | 6'5", 283lbs | 74 ovr, 78 spd, 84 acc, 91 str, 78 pmv, 65 fmv, 72 bsh
#91 Tyrion James, 22 | 6'5", 285lbs | 68 ovr, 79 spd, 83 acc, 83 str, 71 pmv, 65 fmv, 70 bsh

DE
#99 Quincey Thompkins, 21 | 6'5", 286lbs | 78 ovr, 81 spd, 82 acc, 88 str, 82 pmv, 68 fmv, 80 bsh
#53 Jonathan Garvin, 26 | 6'4", 257lbs | 69 ovr, 78 spd, 85 acc, 81 str, 72 pmv, 62 fmv, 67 bsh

NOSE
#96 Akiem Hicks, 35 | 6'4", 347lbs | 80 ovr, 62 spd, 79 acc, 97 str, 83 pmv, 68 fmv, 80 bsh
#97 Noah Elliss, 26 | 6'4", 347lbs | 74 ovr, 53 spd, 81 acc, 99 str, 63 pmv, 53 fmv, 74 bsh
#93 P.J. Mustipher, 25 | 6'4", 326lbs | 74 ovr, 63 spd, 80 acc, 97 str, 61 pmv, 50 fmv, 80 bsh
#94 T.J. Slaton Jr, 27 | 6'4", 340lbs | 74 ovr, 69 spd, 80 acc, 91 str, 65 pmv, 54 fmv, 78 bsh

OLB
#55 Keilan Britt, 20 | 6'4", 252lbs | 76 ovr, 86 spd, 88 acc, 73 str, 77 tkl, 69 bsh, 71 pmv, 81 fmv (rookie) OR
#57 Micah Webb, 23 | 6'1", 251lbs | 74 ovr, 81 spd, 82 acc, 81 str, 80 tkl, 66 bsh, 67 pmv 82 fmv

OLB
#7 Jadeveon Clowney, 32 | 6'5", 255lbs | 82 ovr, 84 spd, 88 acc, 83 str, 80 tkl, 87 bsh, 83 pmv, 76 fmv
#5 DeAngelo Malone, 26 | 6'4", 240lbs | 69 ovr, 83 spd, 84 acc, 81 str, 78 tkl, 73 bsh, 71 pmv, 72 fmv

ILB
#17 Trez Marshall, 24 | 6'1", 240lbs | 81 ovr, 90 spd, 88 acc, 76 awr, 88 tkl, 74 bsh, 65 mcv, 78 zcv
#2 Gio Whitfield, 21 | 6'4", 248lbs | 81 ovr, 90 spd, 91 acc, 73 awr, 89 tkl, 76 bsh, 54 mcv, 65 zcv
#54 George Marshall, 21 | 6'2", 230lbs | 73 ovr, 86 spd, 90 acc, 77 awr, 84 tkl, 78 bsh, 49 mcv, 50 zcv
#52 Shaquille Quarterman, 27 | 6'1", 234lbs | 70 ovr, 81 spd, 87 acc, 67 awr, 84 tkl, 73 bsh, 53 mcv, 58 zcv

CB
#23 Jaire Alexander, 27 | 5'10", 196lbs | 99 ovr, 95 spd, 95 acc, 98 awr, 96 mcv, 96 zcv, 98 press
#27 J.C. Jackson, 28 | 5'10", 198lbs | 92 ovr, 92 spd, 92 acc, 94 awr, 94 mcv, 84 zcv, 94 press
#24 Roger McCreary, 24 | 6'0", 190lbs | 77 ovr, 96 spd, 91 acc, 68 awr, 79 mcv, 73 zcv, 73 press
#22 Rasul Douglas, 30 | 6'2", 209lbs | 75 ovr, 86 spd, 90 acc, 79 awr, 75 mcv, 78 zcv, 78 press

S
#31 Jonathan Jones, 31 | 5'10", 190lbs | 78 ovr, 92 spd, 93 acc, 76 awr, 77 mcv, 82 zcv, 63 tkl
#32 Ashtyn Davis, 28 | 6'1", 202lbs | 75 ovr, 92 spd, 90 acc, 72 awr, 68 mcv, 75 zcv, 72 tkl

S
#13 Malachi Moore, 23 | 6'0", 191lbs | 80 ovr, 91 spd, 91 acc, 80 awr, 66 mcv, 79 zcv, 81 tkl
#20 Jaiden Lars-Woodbey, 24 | 6'4", 225lbs | 70 ovr, 88 spd, 92 acc, 67 awr, 76 mcv, 65 zcv, 67 tkl
#29 Leon O'Neal Jr, 25 | 6'1", 210lbs | 69 ovr, 83 spd, 90 acc, 67 awr, 70 mcv, 73 zcv, 78 tkl

ST
K #15 Harrison butker, 30 | 89 ovr, 97 kpw, 94 kac
P #18 Blake Gillikin, 27 | 81 ovr, 96 kpw, 85 kac
R #26 Kene Nwangwu, 27 | 6'0", 210lbs | 95 spd, 95 ac, 85 cod, 87 ret, 86 car

2025 New England Patriots Team Captains
QB Mac Jones
HB Damien Harris
RT Michael Onwenu
LB Trez Marshall
CB J.C. Jackson
P Blake Gillikin

2025 New England Patriots Schedule
vs. Cleveland Browns (8:20 PM, NBC) [Pat Patriot Jerseys]
at Atlanta Falcons (1:00 PM, CBS)
at New York Jets (1:00 PM, CBS)
at Cincinnati Bengals (8:30 PM, ESPN)
at Dallas Cowboys (1:00 PM, FOX)
at Buffalo Bills (8:20 PM, NBC)
vs. Pittsburgh Steelers (8:20 PM, NBC) [Pat Patriot Jerseys]
at Kansas City Chiefs (1:00 PM, CBS)
at Baltimore Ravens (8:20 PM, NBC)
vs. Houston Texans (8:30 PM, ESPN) [Pat Patriot Jerseys]
OPEN
vs. Miami Dolphins (1:00 PM, CBS)
vs. Buffalo Bills (1:00 PM, CBS)
at Miami Dolphins (1:00 PM, CBS)
vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (4:05 PM, FOX)
at Carolina Panthers (1:00 PM, CBS)
vs. New Orleans Saints (1:00 PM, CBS)
vs. New York Jets (1:00 PM, CBS)

[Soapy]

NFL Week 1 Preview: vs. Cleveland Browns
Last Season Record: 11-6, 1st AFC North

Injuries
CLE QB D'Eriq King (knee)
CLE WR Jahan Dotson (finger)
CLE G Wyatt Teller (toe)

Cleveland Browns Projected Starters
QB #7 C.J. Stroud | 6'3", 213lbs | 80 ovr, 82 spd, 80 acc, 90 awr, 94 thp, 76 sac, 85 mac, 78 dac
HB #24 Nick Chubb | 5'11", 227lbs | 98 ovr, 93 spd, 92 acc, 96 car, 95 btk, 95 trk, 94 sfa
WR #16 Jakobi Meyers | 6'2", 203lbs | 79 ovr, 87 spd, 90 acc, 89 cth
WR #12 Nico Collins | 6'4", 215lbs | 74 ovr, 90 spd, 90 acc, 85 cth
WR #80 Blake Wilson | 5'10", 191lbs | 67 ovr, 86 spd, 91 acc, 79 cth
TE #85 David Njoku | 6'4", 246lbs | 84 ovr, 86 spd, 90 acc, 81 cth, 65 rbk
LT #71 Jedrick Willis Jr | 6'4", 316lbs | 91 ovr, 99 str, 83 pbk, 81 rbk
LG #75 Joel Bitonio | 6'4", 320lbs | 86 ovr, 89 str, 89 pbk, 86 rbk
C #53 Nick Harris | 6'1", 302lbs | 75 ovr, 90 str, 69 pbk, 73 rbk
RG #52 Michael Jordan | 6'6", 315lbs | 73 ovr, 83 str, 69 pbk, 72 rbk
RT #78 Jack Conklin | 6'6", 308lbs | 83 ovr, 92 str, 80 pbk, 84 rbk
---------------------
EDGE #95 Myles Garrett | 6'4", 272lbs | 99 ovr, 86 spd, 92 acc, 98 str, 98 pmv, 95 fmv, 94 bsh
EDGE #29 Sam Williams | 6'4", 265lbs | 74 ovr, 76 spd, 82 acc, 82 str, 85 pmv, 69 fmv, 77 bsh
DT #97 R.J. Meredith | 6'6", 314lbs | 75 ovr, 84 acc, 92 str, 70 pmv, 68 fmv, 85 bsh
DT #93 Dre'Mont Jones | 6'3", 281lbs | 73 ovr, 85 acc, 79 str, 68 pmv, 79 fmv, 82 bsh
LB #28 Jeremiah Owusu-Koromoah | 6'2", 215lbs | 91 ovr, 89 spd, 93 acc, 89 awr, 88 tkl, 63 bsh, 78 mcv, 88 zcv
LB #45 Devin Lloyd | 6'3", 235lbs | 74 ovr, 83 spd, 84 acc, 75 awr, 83 tkl, 66 bsh, 60 mcv, 75 zcv
CB #21 Denzel Ward | 5'11", 190lbs | 93 ovr, 95 spd, 97 acc, 87 awr, 94 mcv, 89 zcv, 85 press
CB #20 Greg Newsome II | 6'0", 192lbs | 84 ovr, 94 spd, 92 acc, 83 awr, 76 mcv, 85 zcv, 80 press
NB #32 Caleb Farley | 6'2", 207lbs | 80 ovr, 95 spd, 94 acc, 75 awr, 79 mcv, 72 zcv, 77 press
S #43 John Johnson III | 6'0", 209lbs | 88 ovr, 84 spd, 89 acc, 86 awr, 79 mcv, 91 zcv, 78 tkl
S #36 Demani Richardson | 6'1", 215lbs | 84 ovr, 88 spd, 86 acc, 73 awr, 70 mcv, 77 zcv, 89 tkl
K/P #2 Evan McPherson | 80 ovr, 95 kpw, 81 kac

[Soapy]

-----------------------------------------------
CLE (0-1) | 7 | 17 | 3 | 3 || 30
NE (1-0) | 3 | 9 | 10 | 9 || 31
-----------------------------------------------

OBJ scores game winner in Patriots comeback win over Browns in season opener
As Cleveland's defensive backfield shifted, New England Patriots quarterback Mac Jones and wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. locked eyes, getting the perfect look they wanted.

It was just a matter of protecting Jones who had been battered by Myles Garrett and Co. the entire night to the tune of two stripped sacks, one of which was in the endzone. This time, New England's line held long enough for Beckham Jr. to sprint across the formation and into the endzone for the 73-yard game winning touchdown against his former team in New England's 31-30 win on Sunday night.

On a night where C.J. Stroud thoroughly outplayed Jones, it wasn't enough as Stroud's 397 yards were for naught, handing him a third straight loss against New England despite averaging over 400 yards passing per game in each of those outings.

Trailing 24-12 entering the second half, New England's defense stiffen, forcing Cleveland to twice settle for a field goal in the second half while New England opened the half with a ten play drive that included passes of 29 and 14 yards to Darnell Washington and Rondale Moore respectively to set up Damien Harris' two-yard touchdown.

In his Patriot debut, Moore caught eight passes for 81 yards.

After the Evan McPherson's 46-yarder, New England threatened to take the lead but on 3rd and eight from the Cleveland 37-yard line, Jones' pass for Agnew fell incomplete forcing New England to kick a 54-yard field goal to make it 27-22.

The Patriots had another shot at taking the lead following a missed 59-yarder but Jones would be sacked on the Cleveland 13-yard line which led to another field goal. Following another unsuccessful Cleveland drive, New England would get the ball into Cleveland territory only for Jones to be stripped sack for the second time of the night with 4:33 left in the game.

A 16-yard completion to Jakobi Meyers, a former Patriot, nearly put the game away but Stroud would be sacked on 2nd and goal from the New England seven-yard line to force the field goal with two minutes left in the game.

It seemed all but over as Jones fourth down pass was intercepted by John Johnson III but with three timeouts left, New England was able to get the ball back by stopping Nick Chubb behind the line of scrimmage on three straight plays to set up the Beckham Jr. game winner.
----------------------------------------------------------------
Scoring Summary
Quarter 1
[CLE] D. Jones, returned fumble 1 Yds (11:23)
[NE] H. Butker, 27 Yd FG (4:46)

Quarter 2
[NE] H. Butker, 47 Yd FG (13:07)
[CLE] N. Chubb, 1 Yd run (8:54)
[CLE] N. Chubb, 6 Yd run (3:15)
[NE] A. Davis, returned fumble 16 Yds (1:48)
[CLE] E. McPherson, 41 Yd FG (0:05)

Quarter 3
[NE] D. Harris, 2 Yd run (10:09)
[CLE] E. McPherson, 45 Yd FG (5:16)
[NE] H. Butker, 54 Yd FG (2:17)

Quarter 4
[NE] H. Butker, 39 Yd FG (7:43)
[CLE] E. McPherson, 21 Yd FG (1:56)
[NE] O. Beckham Jr 73 Yd pass from M. Jones -- 2pt failed (0:15)
----------------------------------------------------------------
Cleveland Browns
QB C.J. Stroud: 26 of 41, 397 yards, sacked 4 times.
HB Nick Chubb: 24 carries, 72 yards, 2 touchdowns, 8 receptions, 76 yards.
TE David Njoku: 7 receptions, 153 yards.
WR Jakobi Meyers: 5 receptions, 83 yards.
WR Nico Collins: 3 receptions, 53 yards.
LB Devin Lloyd: 9 tackle, tackle for loss.
S Demani Richardson: 9 tackles.
OLB Sam Williams: 6 tackles, tackle for loss, 1.5 sacks.
S John Johnson: 3 tackles, interception.
DT Evan Wilds: 3 tackles, 2 tackles for loss, 0.5 sack.
DE Myles Garrett: 1 tackle, sack.

New England Patriots
QB Mac Jones: 23 of 44, 299 yards, touchdown, interception, 2 fumbles (2 lost), sacked 3 times (75.1 PFF grade)
HB Damien Harris: 21 carries, 78 yards, touchdown (74.7 PFF grade)
WR Rondale Moore: 8 receptions, 81 yards (64.8 PFF grade)
TE Darnell Washington: 4 receptions, 56 yards (57.6 PFF grade)
WR Odell Beckham Jr: 1 reception, 73 yards, touchdown (62.9 PFF grade)
LT Patterson: 35.1 PFF grade | LG Alexander: 23.7 PFF grade | C Mitchell: 51.3 PFF grade | RG Tomlinson: 69.8 PFF grade | RT Onwenu: 41.4 PFF grade
LB Trez Marshall: 16 tackles, 2 tackles for loss (76.6 PFF grade)
LB Gio Whitfield: 12 tackles, 3 tackles for loss (77.5 PFF grade)
S Malachi Moore: 11 tackles, 2 tackles for loss (65.9 PFF grade)
IDL Quinnen Williams: 4 tackles, tackle for loss, sack (85.3 PFF grade)
IDL Quincey Thompkins: 2 tackles, tackle for loss, sack (71.4 PFF grade)
NT Akiem Hicks: 1 tackle, tackle for loss, sack (91.3 PFF grade)
EDGE Micah Webb: 1 tackle, tackle for loss, sack (86.9 PFF grade)

[six7]

1st half highlights were hard to watch, but Rondale had a nice debut. Mac gotta protect the rock.

What were your thoughts after this first one? Think this is a SB caliber team?

[Soapy]

1st half highlights were hard to watch, but Rondale had a nice debut. Mac gotta protect the rock.

What were your thoughts after this first one? Think this is a SB caliber team?

The offensive line had a tough, tough day to the point I might be regretting trading Trent Brown. It's partly my fault because I forgot to double team Myles Garrett to help Onwenu who doesn't have the greatest pass blocking ratings.

Defensively, it's almost impossible to consistently defend the passing game so it is what it is, hopefully madden 23 is better at that

[Soapy]

Week 1 NFL Results
TB 17 - CAR 6 | IND 38 - JAX 17 | NO 28 - MIN 17 | PHI 17 - DET 14
BAL 19 - NYJ 10 | ARI 25 - TEN 21 | GB 14 - PIT 6 | CHIN 28 - CHI 17
MIA 30 - ATL 17 | HOU 42 - LAC 28 | LV 21 - BUF 19 | KC 29 - DEN 17
NE 31 - CLE 30 | DAL 31 - NYG 17 | LAR 23 - SF 20 | WAS 31 - SEA 28
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Players of the Week
QB Baker Mayfield (HOU): 22 of 27, 326 yards, 5 touchdowns
CB Xavien Howard (CIN): 6 tackles, 3 interceptions
QB Kyler Murray (ARI): 14 of 26, 295 yards, 3 touchdowns
LB Eric Kendricks (DET): 17 tackles
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Notable Injuries
C Tyler Biadasz (DAL): Season (knee)
T Tristan Wirfs (TB): 6 Weeks (ankle)
WR Ainias Smith (TB): 5 Weeks (ankle)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Notable Transactions
Houston Texans trade T O'Cyrus Torrence to Arizona Cardinals for 2026 3rd round and 2027 6th round pick

[Soapy]

NFL Week 2 Preview: at Atlanta Falcons
Last Season Record: 9-8, 1st NFC South
Record: 0-1

Injuries
ATL TE Kyle Pitts (shoulder)
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NE EDGE Jadeveon Clowney (abdominal)

Atlanta Falcons Projected Starters
QB #5 Malik Willis | 6'1", 215lbs | 79 ovr, 90 spd, 91 acc, 68 awr, 95 thp, 87 sac, 84 mac, 78 dac
HB #13 Elijah Mitchell | 5'10", 201lbs | 82 ovr, 90 spd, 90 acc, 97 car, 81 spm, 83 jkm
WR #18 Calvin Ridley | 6'1", 190lbs | 85 ovr, 91 spd, 92 acc, 85 cth
WR #10 Curtis Samuel | 5'11", 196lbs | 80 ovr, 94 spd, 92 acc, 84 cth
WR #15 Terrence Charleston | 6'1", 204lbs | 71 ovr, 91 spd, 90 acc, 76 cth
TE #83 Will Mallory | 6'5", 245lbs | 67 ovr, 76 spd, 80 acc, 77 cth, 55 rbk
LT #72 Terron Armstead | 6'5", 304lbs | 86 ovr, 86 str, 90 pbk, 86 rbk
LG #77 Jalen Mayfield | 6'5", 319lbs | 80 ovr, 92 str, 65 pbk, 79 rbk
C #61 Matt Hennessy | 6'4", 307lbs | 80 ovr, 86 str, 78 pbk, 76 rbk
RG #63 Chris Lindstrom | 6'3", 307lbs | 90 ovr, 88 str, 81 pbk, 84 rbk
RT #78 Peter Skoronski | 6'4", 302lbs | 85 ovr, 93 str, 83 pbk, 77 rbk
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DE #99 Denario Camp | 6'4", 310lbs | 77 ovr, 82 spd, 85 acc, 84 str, 79 pmv, 67 fmv, 81 bsh
DE #97 Grady Jarrett | 6'0", 305lbs | 84 ovr, 68 spd, 84 acc, 90 str, 85 pmv, 75 fmv, 90 bsh
DT #93 Jermayne Lole | 6'2", 305lbs | 79 ovr, 81 acc, 92 str, 86 pmv, 66 fmv, 72 bsh
OLB #55 Cole Holcomb | 6'1", 240lbs | 79 ovr, 87 spd, 88 acc, 77 awr, 89 tkl, 78 bsh
ILB #45 Deion Jones | 6'1", 222lbs | 87 ovr, 89 spd, 94 acc, 83 awr, 87 tkl, 70 bsh
ILB #33 Najee Davis | 6'4", 240lbs | 65 ovr, 82 spd, 86 acc, 67 awr, 83 tkl, 69 bsh
OLB #59 Drew Sanders | 6'5", 251lbs | 80 ovr, 4 spd, 88 acc, 71 awr, 84 tkl, 84 bsh
CB #24 A.J. Terrell Jr | 6'1", 195lbs | 88 ovr, 93 spd, 90 acc, 93 awr, 91 mcv, 85 zcv, 89 press
CB #26 Greedy Williams | 6'2", 185lbs | 83 ovr, 93 spd, 92 acc, 77 awr, 88 mcv, 76 zcv, 84 press
NB #23 Kenny Moore II | 5'9", 190lbs | 85 ovr, 89 spd, 91 acc, 87 awr, 84 mcv, 83 zcv, 77 press
S #27 Richie Grant | 6'0", 197lbs | 79 ovr, 88 spd, 92 acc, 78 awr, 64 mcv, 80 zcv, 77 tkl
S #11 Jalen Catalon | 5'10", 200lbs | 77 ovr, 88 spd, 87 acc, 66 awr, 67 mcv, 80 zcv, 81 tkl
K #12 Mitch Henry | 74 ovr, 94 kpw, 78 kac
P #19 Anthony Larsen | 69 ovr, 91 kpw, 72 kac
R #41 D'Andre Galloway | 93 spd, 93 acc, 89 ret, 90 cod, 28 btk