Instant observations following Patriots' Week 4 preseason loss to Giants

Some instant analyses following New England's 31-29 preseason finale loss to the New York Giants.

The New England Patriots' preseason finale against the New York Giants gave us a first look at some of New England veterans wideouts, and let us gather some final takes on Patriots players who are on the roster bubble with under 48 hours left until the 53-man roster must be finalized. 

Let's take a look at some observations made in New England's 31-29 loss to the Giants Thursday night. 

1) Demaryius Thomas burst onto scene in Patriots debut

Veteran wideout Demaryius Thomas didn't hesitate to excite all of New England will his play. The former Denver Bronco played in six offensive series, recording seven receptions for 87 yards corralling two touchdowns in the process. Though he showed an inability to consistently separate from cornerbacks, the 31 year old still has a great set of hands and can use his body to make catches in contested bouts. 

2) Josh Gordon looked like himself Thursday night

The debut of receiver Josh Gordon, who returned to the team about a week and a half ago, was nothing short of what we expected. He received six targets in his debut, turning that into two catches for 30 yards. His displayed run-after-catch ability, and looked in shape and ready to be one of the team's top targeted receivers on Sept. 8 in the team's regular season opener against the Steelers. 

3) Jarrett Stidham showed off legs vs. Giants

Rookie quarterback Jarrett Stidham has seemingly showed us something new in each preseason game he has played in during the month of August, and the preseason finale was no different. Stidham displayed his athleticism early in the preseason game, rushing six times for 47 yards. Part of his rushing performance was because he was trigger-shy when it came to throwing into a tight window downfield, which then forced him to make a play with his legs. But having that element to his game makes him even more of a threat compared to other less-mobile quarterbacks. 

4) Rookie Joejuan Williams played safety 

New England second round pick, Joejuan Williams played safety vs. New York, which is something new, but not entirely surprising. Because the Patriots are so deep at cornerback, it would make sense for the coaching staff to want and try Williams at safety, as he could cover larger receivers and tight ends in the slot in that role during the regular season. The Patriots were also thin at the position heading into the game, so that led to a perfect opportunity to experiment with Williams at a new position in the secondary. 

5) Is N'Keal Harry still not fully recovered?

One notable absence from New England's preseason finale was rookie receiver N'Keal Harry who has now missed the final three preseason games because of a lingering hamstring injury that he suffered in the preseason opener vs. the Lions. The expectation was that if he was healthy enough he would play against New York, just like Gordon, Edelman, and Thomas did. But he did not participate in the game, which makes one think he is still not 100 percent healthy. 

6) Patriots' secondary had worst game of preseason vs. Giants

The Patriots' secondary may have had their worst performance of the preseason Thursday night against Daniel Jones and the remainder of the Giants' depth chart. New England gave up 332 yards through the air and three passing touchdowns. The cornerbacks struggled to cover one-on-one on the outside, despite the stat line showing two interceptions by Keion Crossen and Duke Dawson. Crossen played poorly in the first half and Dawson played poorly overall. One of them will likely be cut on Saturday when the team has to be shaved down to 53 men.