With Tom Brady on the sidelines, Ryan Mallett and Brian Hoyer battled it out Monday night.
New England Patriots quarterback Ryan Mallett (15)hands off to running back Shane Vereen (34) against the Philadelphia Eagles during the first quarter of an NFL preseason football game in Foxborough, Mass., Monday, Aug. 20, 2012.FOXBOROUGH – The New England Patriots used their second preseason game to find out how deep their cupboards are.
With 26 players not dressed during pregame warm ups, the Patriots turned to their jayvee squad in Monday’s 27-17 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles at Gillette Stadium. What they learned is that they are well stocked in some areas and merely adequate in others.
But, at its core, with quarterback Tom Brady, tight ends Rob Gronkowski and Aaron Hernandez, and wide receivers Wes Welker and Brandon Lloyd on the shelf, the game should have provided an intriguing backdrop for Ryan Mallett and Brian Hoyer to battle it out for the backup quarterback position.
Unfortunately, shaky offensive line play continued to rule the day, leaving the evening in a split decision.
Mallett came out first and, throwing to a cast of receivers that included Deion Branch, Julian Edelman and Donte’ Stallworth, completed 8 of 15 passes for 87 yards over his first three series.
At times he looked poised and showed the growth he’s made since last season -- like when he stood in against the rush and was able to find Branch for a 20-yard strike in the first quarter -- but he also displayed the poor decision-making that plagued him as a rookie.
In the second quarter he locked in on Branch too long, allowing Dominique Rogers-Cromartie to jump in for an easy interception that was later negated by a penalty. Mallett was also indecisive at times, struggled to make quick decisions, and his accuracy evaporated after re-entering the game in the second half.
He was, however, able to lead New England to an early 11-0 lead after finding tight Alex Silvestro, a converted defensive end, in the end zone on a 7-yard strike. But things quickly fell apart for the Patriots from there.
A fumbled punt by undrafted rookie running back Brandon Bolden, who has struggled with ball security throughout camp, and a strip sack by Philly defensive end Phillip Hunt on Brian Hoyer allowed the Eagles to quickly go up, 14-11.
Part of the unraveling had to do with Hoyer’s accuracy, but most of it was the result constantly dodging the bodies coming off the edges that tackles Nate Solder and Marcus Cannon were protecting. By halftime he was 5 of 12 for 55 yards. He finished 5 of 17.
Mallett re-entered the game in third quarter, down 21-14. He led a three-and-out on his first series and pushed the Patriots close enough for kicker Stephen Gostkowski to hit a 55-yard field goal on the next drive. Mallett finished 10 of 20 for 105 yards.
The theme of the game spilled over to the Eagles side when defensive end Jermaine Cunningham came off the edge and delivered a devastating hit to quarterback Michael Vick on the first play of the Philadelphia’s second series. He was replaced by backup Nick Foles and did not return after being taken to the locker room for X-rays, which ultimately revealed no damage.
Patriots safety Patrick Chung was also hurt during the first half and was taken to the locker room with a shoulder injury. Chung, who battled various injuries last season, did not return to action but it was reported that his injury is not considered to be serious.
The Patriots head to Tampa Bay and will hold joint practices with the Buccanneers on Wednesday and Thursday before playing a game on Friday. New England then wraps up its preseason schedule Aug. 29 in New York against the Giants.