Here are the statistical leaders from Patriots' preseason

BOSTON -- The preseason is over. But there's a long way to go before the regular season begins.

Thanks to the elimination of the fourth preseason game, there's now a two-week break between the end of the preseason and the start of the real season. The summer is already long enough in the football world, but that two-week gap without any action can feel like a month.

In the meantime, teams will have to trim their rosters to 53 players by Tuesday afternoon. Doing so is never easy for any team, and the Patriots are no different. While they may not have the high-end type of roster that has anybody making Super Bowl plans in the region, they do have some solid depth across the board.

With that in mind, here's a look at the statistical leaders for the Patriots from their brief three-game preseason slate. Obviously, preseason statistics are compiled under different circumstances for each player, but they're nevertheless worth a look before the roster gets finalized this week.

PASSING STATS

Bailey Zappe
45-for-71 (63.4)
462 yards, 6.5 Y/A
1 TD, 3 INTs
3 sacks
69.1 passer rating

Mac Jones
13-for-21 (61.9 percent)
132 yards, 6.3 Y/A
0 TDs, 1 INT
3 sacks
60.0 passer rating

Brian Hoyer
13-for-18 (72.2%)
136 yards, 7.6 Y/A
1 TD, 0 INT
1 sack
112.3 rating

The rookie got a ton of work, with some mixed results. Based on that showing, it would be a surprise if the Patriots feel comfortable enough to cut Brian Hoyer and enter the season with two quarterbacks. They have done that in the past -- with Hoyer pushing Kevin O'Connell out in 2009, with Ryan Mallett pushing Hoyer out in 2012, with Jimmy Garoppolo pushing Mallett out in 2014 -- but the guess here would be that the Patriots will want to lean on Hoyer's wealth of NFL experience if Mac Jones were to have to miss any time.

As for Jones, it wasn't a great summer. He would have had a touchdown on his stat sheet, but DeVante Parker was flagged for offensive pass interference on Friday night in Vegas, negating his touchdown reception. But Jones had a grisly interception vs. the Raiders and also ran into some sacks on his own. Suffice it to say, he can't be feeling too great as he enters the season.

RUSHING STATS

Kevin Harris: 13 attempts, 80 yards, 1 TD
J.J. Taylor: 14 attempts, 56 yards
Pierre Strong: 15 attempts, 52 yards
Rhamondre Stevenson: 7 attempts, 26 yards
Mac Jones: 2 attempts, 20 yards
Damien Harris: 3 carries, 18 yards
Ty Montgomery: 5 carries, 17 yards
Bailey Zappe: 5 carries, 13 yards

Kevin Harris, the sixth-round pick, was able to do more than Pierre Strong, the fourth-round pick, with fewer attempts to run the ball. We'll see if and how that impacts the decision-making on building the running back room -- though Harris got more than 41 percent of those rushing yards on one 33-yard run vs. the Raiders. Obviously, Damien Harris and Rhamondre Stevenson are the top two backs, but depth is always needed at that position. With Ty Montgomery likely out for a bit with that ankle injury, he may need to head to IR after making the initial 53-man roster. So if one of Harris/Strong/Taylor gets cut ... they might not be gone for long, as long as they clear waivers.

Receiving Stats

Tre Nixon: 12 receptions, 169 yards
Lil'Jordan Humphrey: 13 receptions, 140 yards, 1 TD
Kristian Wilkerson: 8 receptions, 99 yards
Nelson Agholor: 3 receptions, 65 yards
Josh Hammond: 4 receptions, 33 yards
J.J. Taylor: 3 receptions, 33 yards
Devin Asiasi: 3 receptions, 32 yards
DeVante Parker: 3 receptions, 26 yards
Matt Sokol: 4 receptions, 24 yards
Hunter Henry: 2 receptions, 23 yards
Tyquan Thornton: 3 receptions, 22 yards, 1 TD
Kendrick Bourne: 2 receptions, 16 yards
Pierre Strong: 3 receptions, 13 yards
Kevin Harris: 3 receptions, 13 yards
Jakobi Meyers: 2 receptions, 9 yards
Jonnu Smith: 1 reception, 5 yards
Ty Montgomery: 1 reception, 5 yards
Jalen Wydermyer: 1 reception, 3 yards

There's not a ton to glean from the stats -- or lack thereof -- from the players expected to be the primary receivers. The starters didn't get a ton of time, and when they did get on the field, the operation wasn't exactly running perfectly. 

There were some quick positives, though. The best play of the preseason was a 45-yard deep shot from Jones to Agholor against the Panthers. Thornton looked like he knew what he was doing and had some real NFL speed, though he'll obviously have to miss about half of his rookie season. Kendrick Bourne had a 12-yard reception to convert a fourth down. Wilkerson looked like a potential contributor in his one preseason game before getting knocked out during joint practices with the Panthers. Lil'Jordan Humphrey did enough to earn an NFL job, whether in New England or elsewhere. Tre Nixon, in his second season, had big games vs. the Giants and Panthers.

In terms of a pass-catching running back to help offset the loss of James White, third-year back J.J. Taylor made the best impression, albeit in a small sample size.

Sacks

Josh Uche: 2
Anfernee Jennings: 2
Deatrich Wise, Daniel Ekuale, Ronnie Perkins, DaMarcus Mitchell: 1 apiece

The Patriots' pass rush had a strong showing against the Panthers in their second game, though most Carolina starters weren't in the game.

After a silent rookie year, Perkins won't be making any impact in year two, as he's already been placed on season-ending IR. 

Matthew Judon didn't record any sacks but looks to have the same burst that he had to start last season.

Punt Returns

Marcus Jones: 5 returns, 56 yards, 11.2 average
Myles Bryant: 4 returns, 45 yards, 11.3 average
J.J. Taylor: 1 return, 7 yards
Jabrill Peppers: 1 return, 0 yards

The Patriots had an open competition for the punt returner job, as they seek to replace Gunner Olszewski. Myles Bryant, who hadn't returned a punt since high school, had the longest return of the preseason, taking one back 30 yards against the Giants. Marcus Jones has the collegiate resume for the job, but Bill Belichick gave himself a little something to fall back on with Bryant getting his shots this summer.

Total Tackles

Mack Wilson: 15
Cameron McGrone: 11
Raekwon McMillan: 11
Marcus Jones: 10
Sam Roberts: 10

Mack Wilson certainly represented a different look in the middle of the Patriots' defense, at 6-foot-1 and 233 pounds. It's definitely a change from the days of 6-foot-3, 260-pound Dont'a Hightower in the middle of the defense. But Wilson looked quick and capable of playing a big role on defense.

Interceptions

Brendan Schooler, Shaun Wade: 1 apiece

Not a very active preseason for the Patriots' secondary in terms of forcing turnovers. Schooler, one of the UDFAs with a good shot to make the roster, had a tackle and an assist on special teams, helping to make his case.

Kicking

Nick Folk: 3-for-3 on field goals, 2-for-2 on PATs
Tristan Vizcaino: 1-for-2 on field goals, 3-for-3 on PATs

It's crazy how consistent Nick Folk has been for the Patriots since 2019, and it was more of the same this summer.