The New England Patriots are approaching Sunday’s preseason finale like an actual regular season game with many of their starters expected to see action. Well, the same can’t be said for the Washington Commanders.
Per the Boston Herald’s Doug Kyed, the Commanders are resting 34 players for the game, including rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels.
So the Patriots will be facing mostly backups to close out their three-game preseason slate.
It’ll still be an opportunity for the Patriots’ starters to get on-field reps in a game situation against an actual opponent. That kind of work against other NFL opposition is invaluable, regardless of the depth chart.
The following 34 Commanders players will not play against the Patriots tonight.
Won't be much of a test for a Patriots team planning to play everyone who's healthy.
No. 2 WR Dyami Brown
No. 2 CB Mike Sainristil
No. 4 LB Frankie Luvu
No. 5 QB Jayden Daniels
No. 6 LB Dante Fowler…— Doug Kyed (@DougKyed) August 25, 2024
It won’t change the way the coaching staff evaluates the performances on the field. In some cases, it might cause them to be even more critical considering the Patriots aren’t facing the Commanders’ top-team units.
This will be the last opportunity for players to prove they’re worthy of a spot on the 53-man roster. Nothing could ruin those hopes more than a bad performance against a group of backups and roster bubble players.