After a pair of joint practices in Minnesota, the Patriots and the Vikings will now square off in preseason game No. 2 on Saturday afternoon. For New England, players will be looking to bounce back after a rough Thursday on the practice field.

After the Patriots held their own Wednesday, the Vikings dominated them on both sides of the ball in their second joint session Thursday. All the concerns about the New England offensive line were on full display as Drake Maye found himself under heavy fire from the Minnesota pass rush, and the Patriots' defense was carved up by quarterback J.J. McCarthy.

But for the second straight preseason week, the Patriots won't see the opposition's starting QB. Vikings head coach Kevin O'Connell announced Thursday that McCarthy won't play Saturday afternoon, with Sam Howell getting the start in his place.

It's unclear if any other Minnesota starters and stars will play, and Mike Vrabel will likely hold out a handful of his veteran players after two pretty heavy days of joint practice. (We'd love to see rookie TreVeyon Henderson, but keep him fresh and healthy for the regular season.) But there are still lots of intriguing Patriots players we'll be watching when New England takes on Minnesota Saturday afternoon on WBZ-TV.

Drake Maye

Maye faced heavy pressure this week in Minnesota, but handled it well on both days. He would have been sacked a lot had it been a game and not joint practices, but the QB didn't turn the ball over on Thursday despite Minnesota's heavy pass rush.

He also finished the day with a deep touchdown strike to Kayshon Boutte. We'd love to see such a big play on Saturday, but the struggles of the offensive line may not allow for it.

Maye's preseason debut last week against the Commanders was a big mixed bag. He had a horrendous fumble when he tried to do too much with his legs to end New England's first offensive series, but bounced back and had a nice scramble-and-slide on his second series. 

He didn't do much as a passer, as Maye completed just three of his five passes (all to Henderson) for 12 yards. Again, the lack of protection had a lot to do with that low output. 

We'd like to see Maye get some extended run on Saturday, but not if he's left to run for his life whenever he drops back to pass.

Will Campbell

All eyes are on the rookie left tackle, who did not have a very good time against Minnesota Pro Bowl edge rusher Jonathan Greenard this week. He gave up a number of sacks over the two days, and was also flagged for a false start on Thursday. 

But Campbell was not the only lineman to struggle for the Patriots this week.

The rest of the O-line

Maye was sacked six times on Wednesday, including a stretch where Brian Flores' defense got to him three times over four passing plays. He was sacked at least five more times on Thursday, and the issues weren't just on the left side from Campbell and fellow rookie Jared Wilson, with Ben Brown also getting some run at left guard. Veterans Mike Onwenu and Morgan Moses both allowed sacks from the right side on Thursday. 

New England's offensive line struggled with the many pressure looks Flores sent its way. At least in practice, the quarterbacks don't take actual hits. That will change on Saturday, so the O-line has to play a lot better than it did throughout the week.

Kyle Williams

The third-round receiver had no receptions on four targets against the Commanders, mainly because his quarterbacks couldn't find him.

"He's been open," Vrabel said of Williams on Thursday. "There's been separation."

Go give the rookie a ball he can catch on Saturday. 

Efton Chism

The undrafted rookie had himself a night in the preseason opening, when he hauled in six receptions for 50 yards and a touchdown. He has another big opportunity to make the team Saturday, especially with Ja'Lynn Polk and Kendrick Bourne sidelined (and remaining in New England) with injuries.

Javon Baker

Baker is in the same boat as Chism, fighting for a spot in New England's crowded receivers room. He also didn't have a catch last week, but he's added special teams gunner to his resume and had a pair of tackles against the Commanders. 

Backups QBs

Josh Dobbs went just 5-for-12 for 45 yards against Washington, but he had a much better week against the Vikings. We hope to never see him during the regular season (outside of garbage time in blowout wins, of course), but it will be important for him to give the Patriots a solid backup behind Maye, given the young QB's playing style.

Third stringer Ben Wooldridge was 9-for-12 for 132 yards and a touchdown against the Commanders, but Vrabel said this week he wants to see more consistency out of the 25-year-old. 

'He had an unfortunate interception in two-minute drill and throwing it into robber, and ball placement has to be better, and just the timing and all these things that we work on. So, he's getting the same looks that Drake's getting, and it's not easy, but that's not an excuse," Vrabel said Thursday. "I'm not using that as an excuse. Just saying we have to take care of football."

Cut Candidates

The Patriots don't have to get the roster down to 53 players until August 26. But a few cut candidates have already emerged, and a few of them could be considered surprises.

Atop that list is Kyle Dugger, who has been playing with the twos despite being one of the team's highest-paid players. The veteran safety has been playing behind Jaylinn Hawkins and rookie Craig Wilson, and was out with the second teamers against Washington. That's never a good sign for a veteran, especially under a new coaching staff. 

Jahlani Tavai is seemingly on the bubble as well. Vrabel brought in three of his own linebackers in Harold Landry, Robert Spillane, and Jack Gibbons, all of whom played for him in Tennessee and know his scheme. Tavai has been productive during his time in New England, but he's going to have to fight for a spot under the new staff.

On the offensive side, there's Cole Strange. Rookie Jared Wilson has been starting over him at left guard, and then Ben Brown stepped in at Strange's natural position on Thursday. Strange has been getting some looks at center, but his time could be coming to an end in New England.

Jack Westover

The Patriots may have a fullback after all. Westbrook was on the practice squad last year and was fighting for the third tight end spot early in camp. But he's taken over at fullback since Brock Lampe landed on IR, and continues to make plays. Westover had a touchdown late Thursday, and showed off some solid blocking that led to big runs against the Commanders. 

New England's kicker competition

The battle between rookie Andres Borregales and Parker Romo continues. Both connected on all three of their extra points last week, and both put it through the uprights on their lone field-goal attempt. Borregales had a 22-yard field goal, while Romo was tested with a 57-yarder, which he nailed.

We'll see if the rookie out of Miami gets a long attempt this weekend. Borregales appeared to have a leg up on Romo early in camp, but the battle has shifted over the last few weeks. 

Tune in to Saturday's Patriots-Vikings preseason clash on WBZ-TV -- the television home of the New England Patriots. Pregame coverage kicks off at 12:30 p.m. with Patriots GameDay, the game is set for 1 p.m., and we'll wrap it all up with Patriots 5th Quarter after the game. And if you can't catch Patriots-Vikings in the afternoon, the game will air again Saturday night at 8 p.m. on WBZ-TV!