The New England Patriots opener their preseason slate with a 48-18 win over the Washington Commanders, giving Mike Vrabel a victory in his first game as head coach. The win doesn't count toward the real standings, but it was a strong way for the Patriots to begin a new era in Foxboro. 

The fireworks started shortly after the team unveiled the fancy Tom Brady statue outside of Gillette Stadium. The Patriots raced out to a 7-0 lead when rookie TreVeyon Henderson found paydirt on the opening kickoff, which was just the beginning of a big night for New England's football team. The Patriots led 27-3 at halftime despite only outgaining Washington by seven yards, and then tacked on three more touchdowns in the second half.

It's important not to overreact to a preseason opener. The Commanders didn't play a number of their starters, including Jayden Daniels and a lot of his weapons on offense, while the Patriots did play most of their starters.

But the Patriots looked like a functioning football team on Friday night. They didn't look lost or confused when lining up on offense, defense, or special teams. They played a penalty-free first half, and good defense led to good offense. 

The Patriots put a lot of good stuff on film for Vrabel and his staff to break down. They also put some not-so-good stuff on film for Vrabel and his staff to keep them grounded after such a lopsided win.

Drake Maye played a little bit and had some good and some bad. A number of defensive starters played and looked great, including the stout defensive line with newcomer Milton Williams, Christian Barmore, and Keion White. Robert Spillane was everywhere on defense as well, and the secondary made plays. New England's special teams was special too to cap it all.

Here are the big takeaways from New England's big win to open their preseason slate.

Drake Maye had an up-and-down preseason opener

Like his rookie season, there was some good and some bad from Maye. The bad was really bad, as he fumbled while trying to escape pressure and make a throw. It was a complete panic play from Maye, and gave the Commanders the ball at the New England 30. At least the New England defense stood tall and the Commanders missed an easy field goal after the fumble.

On his next possession, Maye scrambled his way into the end zone. Overall, he finished his night 3-for-5 for 12 yards, and picked up 12 yards on his two runs. 

While he had good command of the huddle and didn't look frazzled, the fumble will be at the forefront of his mind over the weekend. We should see a lot more of Maye next weekend against the Vikings.

Josh Dobbs was also up-and-down for Patriots

The backup threw a lot more passes than Maye, but went just 5-for-12 for 45 yards through the air. He also had a touchdown run, when he took it in from two yards out late in the first half to put the Patriots up 27-3.

A lot of Dobbs' incompletes were on bad throws by the backup, though New England's receivers also struggled to get going Friday night.

Third-stringer Ben Wooldridge looked the best of New England's quarterbacks against Washington's third and fourth stringers, going 9-for-12 for 132 yards and a touchdown. 

Efton Chism popped on offense

The Patriots didn't get much from its wide receivers on Friday night. Stefon Diggs did not play, as he watched the game in street clothes and bucket hat.

Undrafted rookie Efton Chism had the biggest game of everyone, as he led all receivers with six receptions for 50 yards and a touchdown. He displayed some good hands and the ability to make guys miss throughout the game, as we saw on a nice 20-yard reception on a slip screen at the end of the third quarter. He made a strong case to make the roster, but will have to keep it up the rest of the summer.

Chism's touchdown came midway through the third quarter, when he caught a pass from Wooldridge, slipped a tackle, and took it in from 12 yards out to give the Patriots a 34-11 edge. The touchdown came after Jordan Polk came down with an interception on defense. 

Every other Patriots receiver struggled

Those receivers who took the field early in the game struggled when the ball went their way. Mack Hollins saw one target and couldn't bring it in. Rookie Kyle Williams had four passes go his way and caught none of them, though he did break up a pair of would-be interceptions on throws by Dobbs. 

Javon Baker didn't catch either of his two targets, including a pretty good ball from Dobbs that went through Baker's hands. He did make a few tackles on special teams though, which should help his cause.

TreVeyon Henderson looks special

The second-round pick returned the opening kickoff 100 yards for a touchdown. He's electric.

His only run went for 18 yards, and he also caught all three passes that went his way for 12 yards. Henderson looked poised as he trucked and juked out defenders when he had the ball in his hands. This kid looks ready to make a big impact on the Patriots as a rookie. 

How did Will Campbell look in preseason opener?

Campbell and fellow rookie Jared Wilson weren't able to hold their blocks on Maye's fumble, though the fumble was on Maye. But overall, Campbell was pretty solid in his first taste of NFL preseason football.

The No. 4 overall pick had some big blocks in the run game, including one that let Henderson run free for 18 yards.

Campbell and Wilson was the starting duo on the left side of New England's offensive line, with Garrett Bradbury at center, Mike Onwenu at right guard, and Marcus Bryant at right tackle. Bryant flipped to left tackle with the second unit, so he could be carving out a role as the team's swing tackle for 2025.

DJ James made his case on defense

The second-year cornerback has stood out in practice, and he stood out again Friday night with an interception late in the first quarter. He read Michael Gallup's comeback route perfectly and took advantage when the veteran receiver slipped a bit, jumping the route and picking off the pass from quarterback Sam Hartman. 

James returned his pick to the Washington 31, which set up a field goal for the Patriots to make it a 17-0 game early in the second quarter. James has likely already made the team with his strong camp, but could end up playing an important depth role in the secondary in 2025. 

"It's always exciting seeing players take advantage of their opportunities," Vrabel said of James after the win. "I'm always for players that get better and take coaching. It's on them to improve, and that's all to DJ's credit. I'm excited for him, that he put in the work and started to see it on the field."

Patriots special teams was special in preseason opener

It's worth mentioning for a third time that Henderson returned the opening kickoff 100 yards for a touchdown. Gibson had a big return as well, taking a kickoff back 62 yards to set the offense up at the Washington 29, which led to Dobbs' touchdown scamper. 

Both New England kickers were on point too. Rookie Andy Borregales connected on a 22-yard field goal and all three of his extra points. Parker Romo nailed a 57-yard field goal in the second quarter, and all three of his extra points. 

Ja'Lynn Polk got hurt

Polk appeared to suffer right shoulder or arm injury on an end-around run in the second quarter. He tried to stiff-arm Washington corner Noah Igbinoghene, and landed awkwardly on the ground. Polk immediately called for the medical staff and was taken to the medical tent on the sideline, and emerged with a towel over his head as he made his way to the New England locker room. 

It's a tough break for the second-year receiver, who is in a heated battle for a roster spot in New England's crowded receivers room.

What's next for the Patriots?

The team will get Saturday off but will be right back on the practice field Sunday morning. Sunday is the final training camp practice that is open to fans, with gates set to open at 9:15 a.m. and the session set to begin at 10:15 a.m.

Next week, the Patriots will practice in Foxboro on Monday before they head out to Minnesota. The team has a pair of joint practices scheduled with the Vikings on Wednesday and Thursday, leading up to their preseason tilt next Saturday afternoon at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis.