Patriots Preseason Live Update: Young Defensive Star Shining
FOXBORO -- After two relatively quiet but promising seasons, New England Patriots' third-year defensive end/outside linebacker Josh Uche is making the most of his opportunity.
Being mainly used on third-down opportunities, the athletic rusher has been wreaking havoc on the New York Giants offensive line through the first two drives of the teams' preseason opener.
Alternating between strength and agility, Uche registered a quarterback sack as well as a pressure on Giants quarterback Daniel Jones. His production led to the New York drive fizzling out after just one first down.
Through a promising training camp, the young star is quickly emerging as a premier pass-rushing talent in the league.
As a whole, this is the first true scrimmage for the 2022 Patriots. After a surprisingly light training camp with multiple days of padded practice but very little actual contact, initial growing pains are to be expected. Especially considering the offense's well-publicized struggles.
On the other side of the field is a Giants squad led by new head coach Brian Daboll. A former Patriots' assistant and most recently the Buffalo Bills' offensive coordinator, he was the engineer of one of the most explosive passing attacks in recent football memory last season. In his tenure with the Bills, New England gave up an average of 21.9 points per game over nine games. However, in the last five matchups, that number ballooned to 30.4.
Despite New York quarterback Daniel Jones struggling to live up to his No. 6 overall draft hype, Daboll's presence as an offensive mastermind presents a solid challenge for the Patriots defense.
