EAGAN, Minn. — Day 1 of joint practices between the Patriots and Vikings went to the visitors thanks to an explosive day offensively and a defensive performance that bottled up J.J. McCarthy and his teammates.
Day 2, on the other hand, went down as a decidedly better performance for the hosts. Minnesota pressured Maye relentlessly, and defensively the Patriots put up little in the way of resistance for stretches.
In all, it was two days of competitive work for the Patriots. Two days of big plays for both sides. Two days of reps against one of the most complex defensive schemes in the league.
Call it a good barometer for what’s to come when the games start to matter. And a good reminder following Day 2 that, even if they felt like winners after Day 1, there’s plenty of work yet to be done.
Let’s get to our latest edition of Stock Watch…
Stock Up
Drake Maye, QB
Another day, another turnover-free performance. The Patriots will take that, given the scheme Maye found himself attacking and the amount of pressure he endured thanks to shoddy offensive line play.
He completed seven of his 12 attempts while absorbing a whopping seven “sacks.” But, as was the case on Day 1, Maye kept his head with bodies flying around him. He made good decisions, threw it away when he had to, scrambled when he had to, and made accurate strikes with defenders breathing on him.
Two of Maye’s best throws of the day came on back-to-back “sacks,” when he found tight ends Hunter Henry and Austin Hooper in the end zone with fastballs for scores. Two more throws that could’ve resulted in explosive gains — rare plays when he was given time to get through his reads — were dropped by DeMario Douglas.
The offense had its issues on Thursday, but they weren’t due to Maye.
Kayshon Boutte, WR
There weren’t many bright spots for Patriots pass-catchers on Thursday, but Boutte was one.
He made an impressive climb-the-ladder catch on a Hail Mary after a rocky start to a two-minute drill period. Boutte was doubled on the play but used his body to shield the defenders from the ball and came down with the catch, which set off a raucous celebration on the Patriots’ sideline that spilled onto the field.
He also came down with an acrobatic diving catch along the sideline, tapping his feet in bounds to finish off the 7-on-7 period of practice with a touchdown from Maye.
Body control. Hands. Boutte has been one of his team’s most consistent performers in the wide receiver room.
Mike Onwenu, RG
Though the day was a tough one for the Patriots’ offensive line, Onwenu seemed to be the one to escape relatively unscathed.
I did not chart a sack coming off Onwenu during Minnesota’s sack-happy performance, and he had clear-cut wins on both of his reps in the 1-on-1 period. Going up against former Pro Bowl defensive lineman Jonathan Allen, Onwenu stoned Allen’s power move during their first battle. On the second, Allen tried to swim past Onwenu and the Patriots veteran shut him down.
Stock Down
Will Campbell, LT
In what was a rough day for the Patriots’ offensive line overall — seven sacks appeared to be given up by the starters — Campbell had a particularly hard time.
He seemed to allow three sacks to Jonathan Greenard, two on outside moves and one on a bull rush. Campbell was also flagged for a false start in the hurry-up two-minute portion of practice. Things seemed to be moving quickly for him Thursday.
Jared Wilson, LG
Wilson left practice before taking part in a single competitive drill against the Vikings. During 1-on-1s, he exited the field and did not return.
Prior to that, Wilson appeared to have been demoted. Ben Brown replaced him as the top left guard, which was evident in the half-speed period of practice very early in the session.
It’s been a rough go for Wilson in the last couple of weeks, including a bumpy preseason opener. He also allowed a sack and seemed to have issues with the Minnesota front on Day 1 of joint work.
DeMario Douglas, WR
Douglas pushed back on reporters who suggested he had two drops in Thursday’s practice.
He acknowledged he had one clear drop when he had his mind set on running after the catch too quickly and losing focus. The other play in question was a higher throw from Drake Maye that glanced off his hand over the middle of the field. While first explaining that pass was off his frame, he later said if a pass gets that close to him, he expects to catch it.
However those plays get classified by the coaching staff, it wasn’t a standout day for Douglas, whose fumble on Day 1 was the starting offense’s lone turnover.
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