Patriots @ Vikings
Final Score: Patriots 20, Vikings 12
Writer: Riley Blum
We got to see the Patriots’ starters briefly in this preseason game, with Drake Maye and the first-team offense handling the first two drives. After a TreVeyon Henderson rushing touchdown on their second possession, the Patriots went on to retain the lead for the remainder of the game. Minnesota’s offense struggled at times, only managing to score on four field goals. However, it’s worth noting that their screen passing game looked good, which should bode well for Aaron Jones come the regular season. The game was a little sloppy with 17 penalties between the two teams.
Three Up
- TreVeyon Henderson – Henderson once again looked impressive and scored a touchdown for the second consecutive week.
- Efton Chism III – Chism played with the Patriots’ second team, but he looked good fighting for yards after the catch. He scored the only receiving touchdown and led the Patriots in receiving.
- Will Reichard – Reichard went a perfect 4/4 on his field goal attempts, including a 54-yarder.
One Down
- Sam Howell – Howell started for the Vikings and did not look great. He was able to extend some plays with his legs, but he only had one completion to go along with an ugly interception where he should have just thrown the ball away. Brett Rypien looked more capable of running the offense when he was on the field for the Vikings.
New England Patriots
Quarterback
Drake Maye: 4/7, 46 yards
Maye and the starters played for two series as Mike Vrabel wanted to see a good series out of his offensive starters. Maye delivered on the second series, leading the Patriots down the field on a drive capped off by a TreVeyon Henderson touchdown run. Maye looked solid out there, connecting with WR Mack Hollins a couple of times for good gains. He looked good throwing off play action and seems comfortable in the offense.
Missed Opportunities
- DeMario Douglas had a pass bounce off his hands, nearly leading to an interception.
- TreVeyon Henderson couldn’t bring in a pass on a wheel route, though there was enough early contact that it could have been defensive pass interference.
Joshua Dobbs: 11/16, 106 yards, 1 TD
The Passtronaut played the remainder of the first half after Drake Maye and the starters handled the Patriots’ first two drives. Dobbs was the Patriots’ leading passer for the game and threw the game’s only passing touchdown. However, there were a few plays where he threw hospital balls and put his pass catchers in harm’s way.
Ben Wooldridge: 7/13, 55 yards | 1 carry, 1 yard
Wooldridge took the helm of the Patriots’ offense in the second half.
Running Back
TreVeyon Henderson: 4 carries, 20 yards, 1 TD | 1 target
Henderson continued to raise his stock with another strong preseason performance. He was the kick returner on the opening kick off. He showed off his impressive burst on an 11-yard draw play. Henderson displayed his vision and contact balance to end the drive, powering into the end zone for a touchdown.
Another week, another TreVeyon Henderson TD
Stream on @NFLPlus pic.twitter.com/9LW2fv6gdz
— NFL (@NFL) August 16, 2025
Missed Opportunities
- Henderson couldn’t haul in his lone target on a wheel route, though there was contact, and the defender could have been called for pass interference.
Antonio Gibson: 7 carries, 17 yards
Gibson got some run with the Patriots’ first team, but didn’t manage to do much damage as he was stuffed on a few of his carries.
JaMycal Hasty: 11 carries, 47 yards | 1 target, 1 reception, 5 yards
Hasty primarily worked with the Patriots’ second unit and returned a kickoff for 22 yards.
Shane Watts: 10 carries, 15 yards
Wide Receiver/Tight End
Mack Hollins: 3 targets, 3 receptions, 38 yards
Hollins ran with the first team and was Drake Maye’s leading receiver. He showed some good chemistry with Maye, connecting with his quarterback on some solid gains.
Kyle Williams: 3 targets, 3 receptions, 24 yards
Williams saw his targets come from QB Joshua Dobbs, catching all three. Williams did a good job of holding on to passes through contact.
Efton Chism III: 6 targets, 6 receptions, 71 yards, 1 TD
Chism led all pass catchers with a game-high 71 receiving yards. He did well finding soft spots against zone coverage, and he was impressive with the ball in his hands, racking up yards after the catch. His biggest highlight of the game came on his touchdown catch, where he forced multiple missed tackles to fight his way into the end zone. The undrafted receiver has strung together two good games to start the preseason and is making a strong case to make the Patriots’ 53-man roster.
Patriots rookie WR Efton Chism III is on sleeper watch 😴
🔹 6 recs
🔹 71 yards
🔹 TD pic.twitter.com/kF1Ex9UfUX— NFL Fantasy Football (@NFLFantasy) August 16, 2025
DeMario Douglas: 1 target
Douglas played with the Drake Maye-led first unit but couldn’t bring in his only target.
Kayshon Boutte: 1 target, 1 reception, 8 yards
Boutte’s lone target and catch came while playing with the first-team offense.
John Jiles: 5 targets, 4 receptions, 24 yards, 1 carry, 7 yards
Javon Baker: 7 targets, 1 reception, 13 yards
Jeremiah Webb: 3 targets, 1 reception, 8 yards
Webb had a big 59-yard kick return.
Jaheim Bell: 1 target, 1 reception, 10 yards
Cole Fotheringham: 1 target, 1 reception, 6 yards
CJ Dippre: 1 target
Minnesota Vikings
Quarterback
Sam Howell: 1/5, 13 yards, 1 INT | 3 carries, 14 yards
Howell was the first quarterback under center for the Vikings, who did not play their starters. He made some decent plays with his legs, but was otherwise ineffective. His interception was particularly ugly and showed poor decision-making as he lofted a pass trying to avoid a sack when he should have just thrown it away out of bounds.
Brett Rypien: 7/11, 83 yards
Rypien was the second quarterback to enter the game for the Vikings and looked more competent than Howell did on his drives.
Max Brosmer: 15/27, 156 yards, 1 INT
Brosmer played the second half for the Vikings. He took four sacks, and his interception came on a throw into the end zone hoping for a chance to tie the game as time expired.
Running Back
Ty Chandler: 3 carries, 12 yards | 1 target
Chandler drew the start at running back in this game.
Zavier Scott: 10 carries, 28 yards | 4 targets, 3 receptions, 44 yards
Scott couldn’t get much going on the ground, but managed some chunk plays in the passing game. The screen game was the most effective part of the Vikings’ offense today.
Tre Stewart: 2 targets, 2 receptions, 6 yards
Wide Receiver/Tight End
Tai Felton: 2 targets, 2 receptions, 32 yards
The rookie managed to catch both of his targets. Felton also got work on special teams as a returner and a gunner. He fumbled on his kick return, but Minnesota was able to recover it.
Tim Jones: 8 targets, 5 receptions, 68 yards
Jones led the Vikings in receiving across the board.
Jeshaun Jones: 6 targets, 4 receptions, 39 yards
Nick Vannett: 2 targets, 2 receptions, 21 yards
Myles Price: 4 targets, 2 receptions, 11 yards
Price nearly housed a kick return, taking it 81 yards.
Bryson Nesbit: 3 targets, 1 reception, 14 yards
Lucky Johnson: 5 targets, 1 reception, 9 yards
Thayer Thomas: 4 targets, 1 reception, 8 yards
Dontae Fleming: 1 target