New England Patriots Preseason Week 2 Matchup Preview

The New England Patriots failed to impress fans in their preseason opener, though pleasing fans was never part of the process. If it were, New England wouldn't have sat a league-high 40 players for the exhibition contest.

Perhaps we'll see more familiar faces when the Patriots take the field against the Houston Texans on Saturday, August 19. As was the case with the Jacksonville Jaguars, though, the Patriots have been preparing for the game with joint practices. If they see enough from certain players in those practices, those players are likely to see limited game time.

Even if we don't see the full starting roster in Week 2 of the preseason, there will be plenty of reasons to watch. We were able to learn some things in New England's loss last week, we should be able to learn a little more this week.

Let's dig into the storylines, questions and situation surrounding the Patriots' second game of the preseason.

How Many Starters Will We See?

Chris Jackson/Associated Press

Few starters took the field against the Jaguars, which meant the Patriots—and their fans—didn't get a good look at some of the team's new toys. We didn't see Tom Brady hurling passes to Brandin Cooks. There was no glimpse of Stephon Gilmore and Malcolm Butler playing side by side.

One reason for this is the joint practices held between Jacksonville and New England. There, the Patriots did get a look at those aforementioned toys.

According to Kevin Duffy of MassLive.com, Cooks was one of the stars of those joint practices. So was new running back Rex Burkhead. With Mike Gillislee sidelined, Burkhead held the starting role.

"Burkhead looked sharp in that role," Duffy explained. "He runs bigger than his 5-foot-10, 210-pound frame would suggest. On one carry, Burkhead appeared to be stuffed at the 1-yard line. He bounced off a tackle and broke the plane on second effort."

Heading into Week 2 of the preseason, the number of starters who will participate is a big storyline to follow. At some point, the Patriots should want to see these guys on the game field together. Yes, the Patriots have had joint practices with the Texans, but controlled scrimmages can only produce so many scenarios.

Don't Expect Much Complexity

Chris Jackson/Associated Press

Even if the Patriots do play the majority of their starters, fans shouldn't expect a lot of complexity in the offensive and defensive schemes. Vanilla schemes are common in the preseason, but, as Bleacher Report's Chris Simms recently explained, joint practices have allowed the Patriots to be extra conservative in the preseason.

"From what I've heard, New England tore apart Jacksonville all week in joint practices before going vanilla in front of the camera," Simms recently wrote.

If the Patriots are going to tinker with schemes or try new things before the start of the regular season, they're going to do so where opposing teams cannot get those looks on tape.

With Houston involved, the Patriots probably have kept things simple even in a closed environment. New England will host Houston in Week 3 of the regular season, and there's a chance the two teams could meet again in the playoffs. This is exactly what happened last year.

The Patriots won't want to show the Texans anything they can use against them.

"We don't scheme against each other here," Texans head coach Bill O'Brien explained, per Peter King of SI.com. "There's no danger of giving away secrets, I don't think."

Don't expect much scheming between the Patriots and the Texans on Saturday, either.

The Backfield Is Still a Work in Progress

Elise Amendola/Associated Press

Many of the 40 players who weren't in the preseason opener were part of the running back room. Gillislee, Burkhead and James White all missed the game, while Dion Lewis, Brandon Bolden and rookie LeShun Daniels carried much of the workload.

As a team, the Patriots were just OK rushing the ball against Jacksonville. New England totaled 116 yards rushing and 4.0 yards per carry. If the Patriots can get Gillislee, Burkhead and White in the same game, the end result could be more impressive.

The development of the backfield should be a major storyline over the remaining three weeks of the preseason. The Patriots are trying to replace LeGarrette Blount, who produced 1,161 yards and 18 touchdowns in 2016.

Unfortunately, Gillislee is supposed to be part of that replacement process but has been dealing with a hamstring injury.

"I think we're starting to creep toward that point where it's becoming a concern," CSNNE's Phil Perry recently said.

Unless Gillislee sees a progression in health over the next couple days, he probably won't be on the field Saturday. Hopefully, though, we'll get a look at how the rest of the new-look backfield performs against a challenging Texans defense.

So Is the Pass Rush

Steven Senne/Associated Press

Just as the Patriots are looking to replace Blount, they're looking to improve a pass rush that wasn't one of the league's best. As a team, New England ranked 16th in the NFL (tied) with just 34 sacks. Trey Flowers led the team with 7.0 of those.

Also like the backfield situation, injury is part of the storyline. Rookie defensive end Deatrich Wise is dealing with a concussion, and fellow rookie Derek Wise suffered a leg injury during joint practice with the Texans.

According to Jeff Howe of the Boston Herald, the Patriots are "optimistic" that Rivers' injury isn't serious.

Even if Rivers avoids something serious, we may not see either him or Wise on Saturday. This means we may not see much of New England's new-look pass rush. Flowers may play, so might newcomer Kony Ealy, but young players are missing reps, and that's never good.

Much of the pressure New England was able to apply in 2016 came from scheming, not from one-on-one production. We're not likely to see any of that in the preseason. We didn't in Week 1, and the Patriots were unable to generate a sack.

Hopefully, the Patriots will be able to create some pressure with basic schemes against Houston. The more New England's pass-rusher can win their individual matchups, the more flexibility defensive coordinator Matt Patricia will have with his unit. 

Hopefully, Wise and Rivers can get healthy before the start of the regular season, too. New England recently added rookie pass-rusher Keionta Davis to the mix.

Will Young Pass-Catchers Continue to Shine?

Steven Senne/Associated Press

We haven't gotten a look at newcomers Cooks and Dwayne Allen. We haven't seen Julian Edelman, Danny Amendola or Malcolm Mitchell in the preseason, either. We probably won't see Rob Gronkowski until the Patriots host the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 1. What we have seen, however, are a couple of young pass-catchers finding ways to impress.

Rookie wideout Austin Carr caught five passes for 44 yards and a touchdown. 2016 undrafted free agent K.J. Maye caught six passes for 34 yards and a score. Rookie tight end Cody Hollister caught seven passes for an impressive 117 yards.

When you look at the overall depth at receiver and tight end, each of these players is likely a long shot to make the regular-season roster. If they continue to produce at a high level in the preseason, however, those odds could increase.

"I would say they have a chance, but their next step has to be doing it with Tom Brady at quarterback and against first-string defensive players on the other team," Mike Reiss of ESPN.com said on WBZ-TV's Sports Final. "To me, they took a great first step. Now it’s whether they can take the next step."

That next step is likely to come Saturday.

Cyrus Jones Needs to Show Something Positive

Mary Schwalm/Associated Press

While young pass-catchers like Carr and Hollister might be able to force their way on to the roster, young cornerback Cyrus Jones may be fighting to keep a spot there. The 2016 second-round pick was a major disappointment as a rookie and did nothing in the preseason opener to help his stock.

Jones was beaten several times in coverage, including during a 42-yard touchdown reception by Dede Westbrook. He didn't stand out as a returner, either, averaging less than 20 yards per kickoff return.

"They obviously thought a lot of him to draft him that high," Ben Volin of the Boston Globe said on CSNNE's Sports Sunday. "But I think based on play right now alone, I would not have him on the team this year."

It seems like the Patriots would be willing to give Jones at least another season to prove himself, but competition at the cornerback position could shorten the time he has. Jones isn't likely to move past Gilmore, Butler or Eric Rowe on the depth chart. Guys like Justin Coleman, Jonathan Jones, rookie D.J. Killings and rookie Kenny Moore could push Cyrus Jones closer to the chopping block.

"[Moore] had a good spring,” head coach Bill Belichick said, per Doug Kyed of NESN.com. “Kenny was a good, solid player in college. We'll see how it goes. He may have some versatility to play inside and outside."

Cyrus Jones hasn't shown a whole lot of versatility at all during his short Patriots career. If he had, he wouldn't have struggled to get on the field so much as a rookie. Perhaps a move to safety will help. The Patriots experimented with him there near the end of the Jaguars game.

He certainly isn't the only veteran who could be in danger of losing his job. Given his youth and draft status, however, he's one of the most notable. He needs to show something truly positive the next time out.