Which Patriots Shined, Struggled In Preseason Opening Draw to Colts

FOXBORO --- The New England Patriots wrapped up their preseason opener against the Indianapolis Colt s in a 13-13 draw. While neither team's win-loss record rose nor fell, plenty of individual players' stocks did.

Here are the top-three risers, and fallers, from New England's first game of 2026.

UP: LB K.J. Britt

Aug 13, 2026; Foxborough, Massachusetts, USA; New England Patriots linebacker K.J. Britt (35) tackles Indianapolis Colts running back Seth McGowan (20) during the first half at Gillette Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Eric Canha-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

After heading into training camp as likely the Patriots' fourth linebacker, Britt had seemingly been surpassed by rookies Khalil Jacobs and Namdi Obiazor. That slide in the depth chart would've made it an uphill battle for Britt to make the 53-man roster come the end of the month.

However, the veteran linebacker was on the starting defense tonight alongside Chad Muma. Britt finished the day with three tackles, including a two-play sequence which consisted of a two-yard tackle for loss and a forced fumble in the red zone on Colts quarterback Anthony Richardson.

"The turnovers are great," Vrabel said after the game. "I love us attacking football and taking advantage of that ... When we talk about the ability to create turnovers, it can change the game."

DOWN: RB Lan Larison

Aug 13, 2026; Foxborough, Massachusetts, USA; New England Patriots running back Lan Larison (34) runs the ball against the Indianapolis Colts during the first half at Gillette Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Eric Canha-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

After Terrell Jennings was placed on season-ending injured reserve Thursday afternoon, Larison was the expected next-man-up to win the Patriots' third running back role.

However, the 24-year-old was a complete non-factor in the run game (seven carries, one yard). While his receiving numbers may pop on the score sheet (team-high six receptions, 38 yards), none of his targets led to first down conversions.

Overall, Larison may have gone into gameday as the favorite to be New England's third running back in 2026, but left Gillette Stadium on Thursday having been passed by Miller and potentially new-additions Hassan Haskins and JaMycal Hasty.

UP: RB Jam Miller

Aug 13, 2026; Foxborough, Massachusetts, USA; New England Patriots running back Jam Miller (30) runs the ball against Indianapolis Colts cornerback Cam Taylor-Britt (26) during the first half at Gillette Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Eric Canha-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

A seventh-round rookie from Alabama, Miller was clearly the top option at running back for the Patriots on Thursday. His 14 carries for 55 yards trumped the rest of New England's ball carriers. Hassan Haskins finished the night as the second-leading rusher with 15 yards.

Quite simply, Miller looked comfortable in the Patriots offense. He ran hard, broke tackles and proved why he could be the next-best option for New England's backfield behind Rhamondre Stevenson and TreVeyon Henderson.

"It was good to see Jam come out and have some nice runs," Vrabel said in his post-game press conference. "I felt like he ran with his pads down and had a couple physical runs and was happy for him. So, you know, this is a great evaluation. We can start to figure out the guys that can and start to figure out guys that can't, too."

DOWN: WRs Mack Hollins, Kayshon Boutte

Sep 14, 2025; Miami Gardens, Florida, USA; New England Patriots wide receiver Kayshon Boutte (9) races after scoring a touchdown against the Miami Dolphins in the first quarter at Hard Rock Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Hollins and Boutte joined Kyle Williams and Efton Chism III as likely 53-man roster contributors at wide receiver who played on Thursday.

However, the two didn't quite seem to be on the same page as quarterback Tommy DeVito. Hollins caught a pair of passes on four targets, but the two he missed were through similar circumstances to grabs he made routinely last season (high-ball, strong-hands grabs). He also drew a defensive pass interference, but would have had a deep touchdown if he had better rebounded more smoothly from the contact early in the play.

Boutte, on the other hand, had no passes thrown his way. For a training camp standout who is headed into a contract year, the no-show from Boutte was far from encouraging.

UP: S John Saunders Jr.

Jul 28, 2026; Foxborough, MA, USA; New England Patriots cornerback Kenneth Harris (36) does a drill with safety John Saunders Jr. (23) during training camp at Gillette Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Eric Canha-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Saunders, who had intercepted two passes through fourteen training camp practices, picked up another pair of forced turnovers on Thursday.

The first came at the goal line, where he punched the ball out from Colts running back Seth McGowan's extended arm near the endzone, which fellow safety Dell Pettus was able to scoop up. Saunders struck again when intercepting a pass from Riley Leonard shortly after halftime on the quarterback's second throw of the night.

In addition to his turnovers, Saunders added two tackles to his preseason stat sheet.

DOWN: Situational Football

Aug 13, 2026; Foxborough, Massachusetts, USA; New England Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel looks on during the second half against the Indianapolis Colts at Gillette Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Eric Canha-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Yes, it's the preseason. But avoidable penalties wiping out chunk gains are inexcusable regardless.

First-round rookie Caleb Lomu was called for an illegal man downfield penalty which erased a 24-yard gain by Eli Raridon on the first play of a drive which ended with a missed field goal from 56-yards out. Two drives later, James Hudson was called for the same penalty on what would have been a 48-yard reception by Cameron Dorner.

On the Patriots' first offensive drive of the second half, the team also had to burn a timeout after what looked like a substitution error on the field goal unit. All in all, while preseason mistakes are expected, a handful of simple errors may have cost New England its first win of the 2026 (pre)season.

Make sure you bookmark New England Patriots on SI for the latest news, exclusive interviews, film breakdowns, and so much more!

Add us as a preferred source on Google