Patriots Defeat Vikings: Five Instant Takeaways

Borregales vs. Romo is a Hot Competition

While the Patriots sixth-round (182 overall) selection in the 2025 NFL draft may have entered training camp with the slight edge in the kickers battle, incumbent Parker Romo is intent on taking the competition down to the last day.

Borregales made one of his two field goal attempts on Saturday, a 51-yarder in the fourth quarter to extend the Patriots lead over the Vikings to 20-9. Still, the Pats rookie made as much noise for his miss — a wildly inaacurate 57-yard attempt which sailed wide-left in the second quarter. Borergales made both of his extra-point attempts.

Romo made his only attempt — a 28-yarder to begin the fourth quarter which put the Pats on top 17-6. He did not log any PAT attempts. Still, the 27-year-old veteran has displayed a consistency which has either matched or exceeded his rookie counterpart throuhgout training camp and the preseason. Though Borregales likley holds the slight tie-breaker, Romo’s persistence should give the Pats every reason to take their time in deciding the fate of their primary kicker poisition heading into the upcoming season.

The Kyle Dugger Conundrum?

Despite entering the game cloaked in rumors regarding his future with the Patriots, Dugger made his presence felt in the first half. The Division II, Lenoir-Rhyne product was active in making key blocks, getting into the box and was also able to get some penetration on a run blitz. Dugger showed that at his best, he is able to cover a lot of ground and has the tools to match up with defenders in coverage — while also a good tackler, capable of making stops in key situations.

However, Dugger remained in the game into the fourth quarter — a spot typically relegated to those continuing to fight on the disadvantageous side of a roster spot. The former Pats captain has found difficulty assimilating into the team’s three safety packages in New England’s aggressive style of defense. Despite some breight spots on Satruday, Dugger’s usage down the stretch is only likely to feel speculation surrounding a potential position change, or even his dismissal from the team during final roster cuts. 

Anfernee Jennings Back in the Game?

Much like Dugger, Jennings — who had been a mainstay in the Patriots defense since being drafted the the third-round of the 2020 NFL draft — has been labeled a potential roster casualty during final roster cuts.

Jennings clearly heard the noise from the naysayers, thus responding with a solid effort on Saturday. The Alabama product compiled three total tackles, three tackles for loss and three sacks of Vikings’ quarterbacks, proving that there is still a great deal of fight left in him.

At his best, Jennings is a stout run-defender who adequately sets the edge and serves as a playmaker against the run. He has also developed into a stout pass-rusher, due to his underrated mix of quickness, change-of-direction ability, power and instincts. Jennings’ most prominent strengths remain his toughness and tenacity — both of which were fully observable against the Vikings’ blockers in preseason game 2.

The only question is whether Jennings’ strong showing against Minnesota was enough to earn him a spot on the Pats’ initial 53-man roster.