Ten Takeaways From the Patriots Preseason Finale vs. the Titans

Munson showed off his closing speed by shooting the play-side gap on a zone run in the first quarter and then had great awareness to scoop a deflected pass off the turf to pick off Titans quarterback Malik Willis. Ultimately, it’ll be a numbers crunch for Munson, but he’ll probably stick around either on the roster or as a prime practice squad candidate.

2. Veteran G/T Riley Reiff Leaves Game, Adding to Patriots O-Line Injury List

The Patriots already didn’t dress five offensive linemen who have all missed time due to injury, while rookie guard Atonio Mafi was a surprise absence. Well, we can add another to the list. After starting at right guard, projected starter Riley Reiff left Friday night’s game with an apparent leg injury and did not return. Reiff has repped exclusively at right guard over the last few weeks, with the Pats giving rookie Sidy Sow opportunities at right tackle. New England’s “best five” along the offensive line had Reiff in the mix, either at guard or tackle, with starters Mike Onwenu and Cole Strange hopefully returning by Week 1. Onwenu was officially removed from the physically unable to perform list earlier this week, while Strange is expected to be back for the regular season, according to reports.

Mafi, a fifth-rounder out of UCLA, treaded water as a rookie in his first training camp, which is notable. If thrust into a starting role, Mafi would be serviceable. The other young lineman making a roster push is second-year guard Chasen Hines. Hines is a big, athletic guard who fits the mold in the power run scheme and can effectively block on the move. Although he whiffed on a block that led to the initial pressure on a first-quarter strip sack, Hines paved the way for Kevin Harris’s five-yard touchdown run and got a piece of safety Amani Hooker on a screen. If the Patriots will be down multiple bodies on the interior, Hines could make the team.

3. Is Rookie WR Kayshon Boutte a Roster Lock Following Brief Appearance?

New England sat its top five wide receivers and top two tight ends on Saturday night. While some of the regulars were banged up, Boutte was the only roster candidate at wide receiver to see any opportunities on Friday night, but his reps were limited to three offensive snaps. Boutte was also back deep for one kick return, which resulted in a touchback. There are two possibilities: either the Patriots wanted to hide Boutte so that he doesn’t have any more preseason tape if he ends up on waivers, or his roster spot is safe, and he had nothing else to prove. My read is that Boutte is making the team. The rookie showed enough over the last week-plus, including on his 42-yard touchdown in Green Bay and steady improvement in practice, that his upside is too immense for the Patriots to walk away.

4. Patriots Third-Rounder Marte Mapu Makes Preseason Debut vs. Titans

After spending most of the summer in a red non-contact jersey following a pectoral surgery earlier this offseason, Mapu finally got into game action on Friday night. Although it wasn’t perfect, Mapu’s versatility, play speed, and physicality flashed in his 27 snaps. The third-round rookie logged snaps along the defensive line, in the box, over the slot, one snap at wide corner (on a tight end), and played 11 snaps at free safety.

Mapu was used in man coverage, flat/hook zones, robber/rat help, split-safety zones, and sub-package linebacker roles. He can play anywhere. The highlights for Mapu were an explosive coverage stop as a flat defender, where he showed off his closing burst and playing to his leverage to force an incomplete pass in the red zone. Mapu seemed too jacked up for his debut, going for forceful contact rather than sound tackling technique, which cost him on two missed tackles. But his physicality and play speed were apparent. Overall, it was a solid debut.