7 players who stood out in the Patriots’ preseason win over the Bears

Jimmy Garoppolo and A.J. Derby had strong outings on Thursday.

Jimmy Garoppolo was one of many Patriots that stood out in the Patriots' preseason win. Jim Rogash/Getty Images

August 19, 2016

2 minutes to read

COMMENTARY

Bill Belichick said Thursday night that the Patriots played good “complementary football” after their 23-22 win over the Bears. There were a number of strong individual performances on offense, defense, and special teams that helped put together that complementary performance.

Here are seven players who stood out on Thursday night.

Tom Brady: His absence stood out. Brady was set to play in Thursday night’s game before slicing his thumb with scissors, according to CSNNE.com. He was seen leaving Gillette Stadium less than an hour before kickoff. It was a very odd sequence of events.

Jimmy Garoppolo: Despite the strange circumstances of Brady’s absence, Garoppolo posted a solid performance against the Bears after a so-so outing against the Saints in the preseason opener. The Patriots offense started slow with a 3-and-out, and then made two red zone trips without points. But in the second quarter, he led a pair of touchdown-scoring drives, the second of which was a 2-minute drill where Garoppolo found tight end A.J. Derby in the end zone. Garoppolo finished 16-of-21 with 181 yards and a touchdown.

#Patriots? Oh you mean Tight End U. Jimmy G with the TD to A.J. Derby #CHIvsNE https://t.co/lrayXUXzcB

— Binge Sports (@BingeSports) August 19, 2016

A.J. Derby: The tight end continued to build on a very consistent offseason with six catches, 71 yards and a touchdown on Thursday. He made a pair of catches in traffic, and held onto the ball despite taking big hits. The first was his touchdown reception (in the video above) from Garoppolo, where he was sandwiched by two defenders as soon as he caught the ball in the end zone. The second was a catch (in the video below) from Jacoby Brissett on the sideline, where Derby kept his feet in-bounds before getting pummeled by Bears safety Chris Prosinski.

WAKE UP A.J. DERBY pic.twitter.com/Ouk2rI2fc6

— Rich Hill (@PP_Rich_Hill) August 19, 2016

LeGarrette Blount: Blount was the Patriots’ best rusher against the Bears on Thursday. He carried the ball 11 times for 69 yards and a touchdown. He showed quickness by reversing field to pick up gains of 21 and 15 yards. Tyler Gaffney, who had 11 carries for 31 yards, hasn’t overtaken Blount as the top power back — not yet at least.

Anthony Johnson: Johnson took snaps with the first-team defense in passing situations, and finished the night with two tackles, one tackle for loss, a half sack, and a pass deflection. Prior to this season, the defensive tackle hadn’t found a fit in the NFL. He had to change his weight and position with the Dolphins in 2014 and the Redskins in 2015. But he may have found his sweet spot at 280 pounds, and appears to be making a run at a spot in the Patriots’ rotation of defensive tackles.

Cyrus Jones: The rookie nabbed his first NFL interception. He also started as a punt returner, and returned a pair of punts for 22 yards.

Cyrus Jones treating the Bears like Charleston Southern https://t.co/CRVWDJK8L9

— West Coast Tide Fans (@WCTideFans) August 19, 2016

Chris Hogan: Hogan got his first game-action in a Patriots’ uniform, and appeared to elevate Garoppolo’s play. He had four catches for 53 yards, and helped Garoppolo pick up a number of first downs during the Patriots’ second-quarter 2-minute drill. Hogan also had a 2-point conversion catch from Garoppolo. Hogan did have one negative play where he committed a holding penalty on what would’ve been a solid gain on a Clay Harbor reception.