Patriots 26, Redskins 17: New England defense lackluster in first preseason game

FOXBORO — With Tom Brady planted firmly on the bench for the Patriots preseason opener, no one expected the offense to come out firing Thursday night. It’s the preseason, after all. These games, the results and box scores will never truly matter.

No one expected Brian Hoyer to light it up like Jimmy Garoppolo often would. No quarterback on the Patriots roster is pushing the 41-year-old Brady this summer or fall or likely next year, either. So when the Patriots offense [...]

FOXBORO — With Tom Brady planted firmly on the bench for the Patriots preseason opener, no one expected the offense to come out firing Thursday night. It’s the preseason, after all. These games, the results and box scores will never truly matter.

No one expected Brian Hoyer to light it up like Jimmy Garoppolo often would. No quarterback on the Patriots roster is pushing the 41-year-old Brady this summer or fall or likely next year, either. So when the Patriots offense struggled in the first half on Thursday, it wasn’t shocking. Quite frankly, it can be forgiven.

The defense is a different story.

The Patriots trotted out most of their projected starting defense on Thursday. The much-maligned unit took the brunt of the blame for the Patriots loss in Super Bowl LII. The lasting memory of this group is a collective waste of one of the best quarterback performances in NFL history as the Philadelphia Eagles gashed the Pats defense in the air and on the ground.

The defense needs to be better or the Patriots won’t contend for their sixth championship this season. The defense certainly needs to be better than it was on Thursday night. The good news is that it’s early August so the work has just started. On paper, the Pats should be better than they were last year. On Thursday, they just didn’t show it despite beating the Redskins, 26-17, in the preseason opener at Gillette Stadium.

Not all the defensive pieces were in place Thursday night. The Patriots were without defensive end Trey Flowers and safety Devin McCourty. Still, the group that started was close to what it should be in September with linemen Deatrich Wise, Malcom Brown, Lawrence Guy and Derek Rivers, linebackers Dont’a Hightower, Elandon Roberts and Kyle Van Noy, safeties Patrick Chung and Duron Harmon, and corners Stephon Gilmore and Eric Rowe.

The first series went nearly flawless as the group allowed one first down before forcing a punt. There were no sacks or deflections, but Chung made a nice third down stop.

The second defensive series didn't go as well.

With Adrian Clayborn and Danny Shelton coming in for Guy and Wise, the defense allowed two long passes on third downs and the Redskins scored the game’s first touchdown. Gilmore allowed a 20-yard pass playn to Robert Davis on third-and-4. Gilmore, who’s been fantastic this offseason, allowed three catches on three targets for 39 yards to start the game.

Then, following a penalty to set up a third-and-11, running back Byron Marshall beat Van Noy for a 25-yard touchdown pass at 6:41 of the first quarter. The Patriots brought the pass rush, but they couldn’t get to Redskins quarterback Colt McCoy and Van Noy couldn’t cover Marshall on a crossing route.

With Washington's starting quarterback Alex Smith not playing, McCoy started, going 6-for-7 for 69 yards and a touchdown on the first two series.

After McCoy’s third series, he was 10-for-13 for 112 yards with a 127.7 passer rating. At that point, most of the Patriots' first-string secondary was out of the game, but the front seven was mostly intact. They played well into the second quarter. It’s that group that failed to get any sacks on Nick Foles in Super Bowl LII, but the team added Shelton and Clayborn in the offseason.

The front seven got to McCoy a few times following the third series. Wise registered a quarterback hit in the third series. Later in the second quarter, Guy earned the Patriots' first sack of the preseason. In the fourth series, with Washington was driving, Clayborn disrupted two consecutive pass plays in a row helping to force a punt.

The fifth series was a disaster as McCoy started the drive with a 57-yard pass to Cam Sims, who beat defensive back Keion Crossen on the play. Damarius Travis and Jordan Richards also missed tackles. McCoy was pushed out of the pocket two plays later by Wise, but still managed to hit wide receiver Maurice Harris for a 3-yard touchdown.

Overall, McCoy finished 13-for-18 for 189 yards, two touchdowns and a 143.1 passer rating. It’s the summer, but the results weren’t ideal for the Patriots defense.

The Patriots started training camp with questions about why cornerback Malcolm Butler didn’t play against the Eagles in Super Bowl LII. Those questions may never go away, but an improved defensive effort this season would solve many problems. Whether that happens in August doesn’t matter. Come next January and February, however, it’ll mean everything.