FOXBOROUGH — With Drake Maye and the Patriots starters getting the night off, Tommy DeVito stepped into the spotlight for Thursday’s preseason opener against the Colts. DeVito shined in the first half, while rookie Behren Morton took over in the third quarter and went 7-of-13 for 66 yards in his debut. New England was in control for most of the evening, but a late 61-yard field goal from Colts kicker Spencer Shrader tied the game at 13-13. With 13 seconds remaining, Andy Borregales missed a potential game-winner from 49 yards. The Patriots kicker was just 2-for-5 on the evening and there was no overtime.Here’s everything you need to know from the preseason opener: Man of the match: DeVito Maye’s understudy delivered a quality evening of work, going 13-of-22 for 138 yards and tossing a touchdown pass to Kyle Williams (more on that in a moment). DeVito’s stat line could have been better if not for a couple drops from second-string wideouts and a pair of big plays being called back due to penalties. Playing behind a backup offensive line, the quarterback Mike Vrabel calls “Two Chains” was decisive with the football and only took one sack. It looks like the Patriots have found their backup quarterback. Play of the day: VrabelAfter Patriots linebacker K.J. Britt forced a second quarter fumble but Colts quarterback Anthony Richardson was ruled down by contact, Mike Vrabel embraced his inner tee-shirt cannon and launched his challenge flag into the stratosphere. Following replay review, it was New England’s ball (and a hilarious highlight). Quote of the night:Tommy DeVito, on the fans that congregated in a “tarps off” section, where they removed their shirts and waved them in the air for much of the fourth quarter: “The crowd was a lot of fun. I don’t know what the heck went on in that little student section, if you want to call it that. I felt like I was in college again. But that was awesome. They were rowdy. It was a lot of fun.”NOTESVrabel: Gonzo’s absence injury-basedAs Christian Gonzalez is in the midst of a high-profile contract negotiation, Mike Vrabel clarified the cornerback’s absence from Tuesday’s joint practice with the Colts on the 98.5 pregame show. “Everybody that was healthy practiced. Those guys, we didn’t deem them healthy enough to go out there and participate,” Vrabel said. “When they’re ready, they’ll be back out there.”Gonzalez wasn’t ready on Thursday night, as he didn’t suit up. Plenty of run for backup receivers With A.J. Brown, Romeo Doubs, and Pop Douglas given the night off, there were lots of reps to go around for wideouts further down the depth chart.Kyle Williams caught the first touchdown of the game, shaking Colts cornerback Jonathan Edwards with a nifty release at the line of scrimmage and hauling in a 12-yard touchdown pass from DeVito. He added another 25-yard explosive reception late in the second quarter. Mack Hollins suited up and made his presence felt, catching t
Content Source: Yahoo News
Image Credit: Getty Images
All rights to the news content and images belong to their respective copyright owners.