After three weeks of training camp outside Gillette Stadium, the New England Patriots headed inside.
The reigning AFC champions opened the 2026 preseason with a 13-13 tie against the Indianapolis Colts on Thursday night.
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Here’s a glance back on the 7:30 p.m. ET kickoff as August moves forward.
DeVito drives to halftime as QB2
With 23-year-old captain Drake Maye serving as a spectator for the preseason opener, it would be a waiver claim from last August starting under center for the Patriots.
Tommy DeVito went 13-of-22 passing for 138 yards with one touchdown and no turnovers on Thursday night. The former emergency No. 3 quarterback stayed in for six drives against the Colts and was sacked once.
Beginning in “22” personnel, with the established Kayshon Boutte and Mack Hollins on the perimeter, the offense’s initial possession brought a 3-0 lead. That was the case despite the latter wide receiver drawing defensive pass interference as a go route for a would-be touchdown hit the turf. A pair of three-and-outs and a missed field goal soon arrived for New England. Yet with 8:22 to go before halftime, so did a play of the night that did not count in the gamebook.
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Hit high and low by the Colts on first-and-10, DeVito hung in to take a play-action shot. He connected with rookie wideout Cameron Dorner on a 48-yard concentration catch over the top. A penalty for ineligible man downfield took the distance away, only not the work that went into it. The undrafted speedster by way of Shepherd University and North Texas was turned back to on the next snap for a pickup of 17 yards. And that drive, which spanned a dozen snaps, ended in the end zone with second-year target Kyle Williams reeling in a touchdown from a dozen yards away.
Rookie quarterback Behren Morton took the keys to New England’s offense after halftime. The Texas Tech product, taken No. 234 overall in the 2026 NFL draft, couldn’t find continuity. He finished 7-of-13 through the air and was taken down for one sack. After three consecutive punts, and score reading 13-13, there was a chance to end on a high note with 1:10 left to go. To no avail.
Interior O-line depth thins
New England’s first offensive line on the field featured no starters from Super Bowl LX, but a top interior backup in Ben Brown.
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Thursday night’s starting center had to be helped off the field by trainers after a second-and-7 sack late in the first quarter. Checked on by head coach Mike Vrabel, he went from the blue medical tent to the locker room. And in the final frame, left guard Andrew Rupcich, who spent last year on the practice squad, limped off the field yet stayed on the sideline after further examination in the pop-up.
The rest of the Patriots’ starting five included Marcus Bryant at left tackle, James Hudson III at right guard and No. 28 overall pick Caleb Lomu at right tackle. The strong side of the configuration was flagged for roaming downfield, negating completions of 24 yards to tight end Eli Raridon and 48 yards to the aforementioned receiver Cameron Dorner, before their nights closed.
The reshuffled line went on to include Mehki Butler, Dametrious Crownover and Jacob Rizy. An unproven range.
Seventh-rounder leads the backfield
The backfield shakeups continued for the Patriots in the hours leading up to the preseason opener. That was the case as Terrell Jennings, who spent parts of 2024 and 2025 on the 53-man roster, landed on injured reserve in a corresponding move.
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On Thursday night, the No. 3 conversation went forward even so.
Jam Miller started at running back for New England. The No. 245 overall pick via Alabama stayed in to turn 14 handoffs into a team-high 55 rushing yards, led by a long of 15. Spelling the rookie was a redshirt in Lan Larison. After finding the end zone last preseason before going on IR, the UC Davis alum served as a kickoff returner and change of pace with six catches for 38 yards. His ground work, however, resulted in one yard on seven carries.
Veteran free agents JaMycal Hasty and Hassan Haskins, who signed following Wednesday workouts, were quickly called upon for five carries apiece.
Defensive front serves as a catalyst
The Colts got on the board with a QB sneak before intermission hit. But the Patriots got two forced fumbles on the board by then, too.
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A scramble around the left end saw inside linebacker K.J. Britt jar the football free as defensive tackle Isaiah Iton recovered. And on the subsequent series, down at the goal line, a carry by running back Seth McGowan never crossed the plane from a yard out. It crossed into Jeremiah Pharms Jr. and safety John Saunders Jr. instead. The pair helped turned a touchdown into a turnover.
New England’s front included the edge of Gabe Jacas, too. The No. 55 overall pick out of Illinois started opposite Boston College product Quintayvious Hutchins and brought the heat to set up what became the first interception of the preseason for the defense.
Not lost in the substitutions was Bradyn Swinson. The 2025 draft choice saw a larger look at outside linebacker to begin the second half. He set the game’s second pick in motion alongside defensive tackle Eric Gregory, and later got his hands up to knock down a fourth-and-3 pass on the doorstep of the end zone.
The lone sack of the night would go to fellow sophomore Joshua Farmer for a loss of 12 yards through middle.
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Pair of picks for the secondary
Three passes into the Colts offense’s evening, quarterback Anthony Richardson connected with the Patriots on a tipped ball intended for wideout Coleman Owen. A well-traveled cornerback was there to drive on the route and pick it away through traffic.
Vying for a depth spot on the eventual 53-man roster, Kindle Vildor corralled the first interception for New England while starting alongside fifth-round corner Karon Prunty. And at safety, the fumble-forcing John Saunders Jr. got the second on backup QB Riley Leonard under dress after the break.
New England’s defensive backfield went with three starting safeties, including Dell Pettus, who fell on a fumble in the shadows of the uprights. Charles Woods as well as 2024 All-Pro and 2025 Pro Bowler Christian Gonzalez did not dress for the exhibition.
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Wide left three times
There were more misses than hits for New England’s operation. From distance, there was also a theme.
Andy Borregales converted on 2-of-5 field goals against the Colts. The lone kicker on the Patriots’ 91-man roster began the night with a 40-yarder through the uprights. But a 56-yard launch hooked just outside the left upright as the first quarter closed. And while 2025 draft pick made good on an extra point and then on a 52-yarder coming out of the break, a 55-yard attempt went wide left from there. Then, with 10 seconds left on the clock in a tie game, a 49-yarder followed the same path.
As incumbent long snapper Julian Ashby looked on, the Patriots had the recently re-signed Niko Lalos delivering to holder Bryce Baringer.
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