Report: Mac Jones, Patriots starters expected to get "minimal time" in preseason finale vs. Raiders
BOSTON -- Anyone hoping for a final, full look at the Patriots' starters before the season gets underway may be disappointed on Friday night.
When the Patriots suit up to play the Raiders for their third and final preseason game in Las Vegas, the starters are expected to see "minimal" playing time, according to ESPN's Mike Reiss.
Game day. Patriots at Raiders in preseason finale (8:15p ET).
— Mike Reiss (@MikeReiss) August 26, 2022
The expectation is for Mac Jones and most top players to see minimal time.
They got a lot of good work in two productive joint practices this week. Thus, it would be a surprise to see a lot of them tonight.
The Patriots and Raiders held joint practice sessions on Tuesday and Wednesday, and Bill Belichick has spoken to how valuable those reps can be. Reiss indicated that the work on the practice field this week may ease the urgency for the starters -- including Mac Jones -- to play much in the preseason game.
"A safer assumption is that they feel the risk of extended action outweighs the potential reward of what would result from it after [two] productive practices," Reiss wrote in a follow-up tweet.
Jones and the first-team offense have had minimal game action this preseason, with Jones leading three drives last week before Brian Hoyer got in some work with the starters on one brief drive.