Patriots vs. Commanders Halftime Takeaways: Drake Maye Finds Endzone

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — A new era is officially underway for the New England Patriots.

With new head coach Mike Vrabel leading the Pats to the game-day field for the first time, the fresh-faced Patriots welcomed the Washington Commanders to Gillette Stadium for their preseason opener.

Though many Patriots players are hoping to garner some attention during Friday’s matchup, the offense — primarily a rookie running back — has absorbed the majority of the spotlight, thus far. 

With the Pats holding a 27-3 halftime lead, here are some highlights from the first half of the preseason opener.

Henderson Has Arrived, Special Teams Shine

Known for his exceptional breakaway speed and acceleration, Patriots rookie running back TreVeyon Henderson needed only one play to make his presence felt in Foxborough. On the opening kickoff, exploded across the field, earning a 100-yard return for a touchdown and a 7-0 lead over Washington.

While Henderson’s speed and shifty running style deserve the lion’s share of the credit for the run, New England’s special teams coverage helped the rookie spring free. Earlier this week, a source told Patriots On SI that New England had practiced several similar coverages during camp. With time expiring in the second quarter, fellow running back Antonio Gibson once again used sound special teams coverage to gain 62 yards on a kickoff return.

Maye Finds the End Zone

Patriots starting quarterback Drake Maye led his first scoring drive of the preseason with an eight-play, 61-yard series which resulted in a five-yard scoring rush by the third overall selection in the 2024 NFL Draft. Maye looked impressive on an 11-yard scramble on 2nd and 10 in Washington territory, while also finding Henderson for a nine-yard pass out of the backfield. While there is still much work to be done heading into the season, Maye’s first voyage to the end zone in coordinator Josh McDaniels’ offense provided enough promise to indicate a potentially bright future on the horizon.

Backup quarterback Joshua Dobbs also proved to be effective in his ground attack, capping a five-play, 29-yard drive with a two-yard rushing touchdown.