3 Thoughts Following The Patriots' Preseason Opener

FOXBOROUGH, MA — Football returned to Foxborough Thursday night for the Patriots’ preseason opener against the Indianapolis Colts. While the majority of starters for both teams sat out and the game ended in a tie, there are still many observations to take away from the squad’s first on-field appearance of 2026.

Kyle Williams

Wide receiver Kyle Williams was on the receiving end of two of the game’s most noteworthy plays, which included a 12-yard fade route touchdown in the corner of the endzone and a 25-yard catch-and-run. The second-year pass catcher is looking to take the proverbial “leap” and establish himself in a wide receiver room that looks to be crowded with talent. It is an understatement to say that highly-drafted New England receivers have struggled to stand out in recent years, and Williams is hoping to finally break that trend. He showed us that he has the speed to go deep in 2025, however more plays like the touchdown he had Thursday night may just be what the coaching staff is looking for.

Kicking Struggles

Kicker Any Borregales is another Patriot entering his sophomore season. His rookie campaign included many impressive distance kicks and game-winning boots, however the former Miami Hurricane looked rusty against the Colts. Borregales missed three out of his five field goal attempts from 55, 56, and 49 yards respectively. Fans are hoping he can straighten out before the start of the regular season, as Borregales had a slow start in 2025 that bled into the first two games of the season against Las Vegas and Miami, before hitting a clutch game-winner in the latter of the two contests. Head Coach Mike Vrabel publicly expressed his confidence in the player and the struggles mostly ended.

Tarps Off

The Foxborough faithful were out in full force despite it only being a preseason game. Continuing a tradition that began during the playoff run last season and has continued this summer at Fenway Park, an entire section of fans took off their shirts and chanted support for the team and quarterback Drake Maye as the game was winding down, and despite the fact that the signal-caller did not take a single snap. Chants such as “MVP” and “We want Drake Maye” could be heard from the upper section.

The Patriots are welcoming the Philadelphia Eagles to town for their next preseason matchup on Saturday, Aug. 22.