After a day off following their 13-13 tie against the Indianapolis Colts in the Aug. 13 preseason opener, the New England Patriots returned to the practice field on Saturday, Aug. 15, where they focused heavily on red zone work and two-minute drills.
Here are three takeaways from the practice:
Romeo Doubs remains Drake Maye's top target
Coming into training camp, it was widely speculated that quarterback Drake Maye would develop the strongest connection with wide receiver A.J. Brown come Week 1. While the chemistry between Maye and Brown continues to grow, it’s fellow wide receiver Romeo Doubs who seems to be Maye’s favorite target, especially in the red zone.
The pair connected for three touchdowns during Saturday’s practice, with the final two being contenders for play of the day.
“This is a day-to-day league,” Doubs said. “… Trust takes [a] process day in and day out, [and] I look forward to that.”
Doubs' and Maye’s second touchdown of the day came during the two-minute drill, where Maye threw a high pass to Doubs in the corner of the end zone, and Doubs, who “floated to the moon” when leaping in the air, according to wide receiver Kyle Williams, snagged the pass and kept both feet in for the touchdown.
The last touchdown came on a red zone 11-on-11 drill toward the end of practice in which Maye hit Doubs in the back-left corner of the end zone. Doubs then launched the ball in the air and celebrated with fans after the play.
“I’ll let the universe speak for itself,” Doubs said. “That’s just the game. The game’s supposed to be fun. I was just having fun. That’s just what I do, and I love this team.”
For the fantasy owners out there who haven’t done their drafts yet, this connection is certainly one to monitor, as it’s clear that Maye trusts Doubs in the red zone to go up and get a catch for a touchdown.
The defense looks strong stopping the run
While the offense may have gotten the better of the defense in the passing game, the run game was a completely different story.
Throughout practice, and especially during the two-minute drill, when a run play was called, the running back was usually swallowed up for minimal or no gain. The offense was unsuccessful, whether it was running back Rhamondre Stevenson getting the rock or running back Jam Miller.
It does make it a little easier for the defense to make these stops when they’re the same plays the group has seen for the last three weeks; however, it's encouraging that they are recognizing certain formations and making adjustments to prevent any additional yards being gained.
The only successful run play of the day came on a Maye scramble. Maye rushed toward the end zone before tripping and had to lunge forward for the touchdown.
Borregales makes up For Thursday’s accuracy woes
Thursday’s game didn’t have to end in a tie, but it did. That’s because kicker Andy Borregales missed three field goals, including the potential game-winner late in the fourth quarter. Head coach Mike Vrabel was asked postgame whether Borregales' performance warranted the team bringing in another kicker to provide some competition. Vrabel declined to say whether he would, but Saturday’s practice seemed to show the answer.
Another kicker was not brought in, in an apparent vote of confidence for Borregales from Vrabel and his coaching staff.
Borregales was given the chance to prove his missed kicks were an outlier, not a pattern, by practicing on the narrow field goal posts. The goal posts on the field farthest from the stands and facing the stadium are about half as wide as normal uprights.
Borregales went five for six on the day, with his only miss being narrowly wide left, which would’ve counted had it been on regulation-sized goalposts.
With Borregales returning to the accuracy that fans have become accustomed to, the question is: Why was Thursday so bad?
The answer could be because of a change at long snapper.
Throughout training camp, Borregales’ kicks have been snapped by long snapper Julian Ashby, but during the preseason game against the Colts, it was new long snapper Niko Lalos who took the field. Ashby was not spotted in uniform or at the game, which is most likely why Lalos was given the opportunity.
During Saturday’s practice, the roles were reversed, as Ashby was in uniform and a full participant in practice while Lalos was absent. Later Saturday afternoon, the Patriots announced that Lalos has been released.
Borregales will have five more practices, including two joint practices with the Philadelphia Eagles, to show fans that his accuracy problems are nothing to be concerned about before the team’s second preseason game on Saturday, Aug. 22, against the Eagles.
The next public practice will be on Wednesday, Aug. 19, when the Eagles come to town for the first of two joint practices.
This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: Maye-Doubs bond grows at Patriots camp, and Borregales bounces back