The Washington Commanders fell to the New England Patriots in their first preseason game of the year, 48-18. Here are five takeaways from the evening.

1. It was sloppy.

Head coach Dan Quinn was not happy during his postgame press conference. The final score was obviously unpleasant, but he was more upset that his players could not reach the high standard the franchise had set for itself.

"I thought it was sloppy tonight," Quinn said.

The Commanders had 15 penalties -- more than double their average last season -- which gave the Patriots 98 free yards, and culprits for the mistakes were among all three units. There was a facemask penalty from the defense that tacked on another 15 yards to a TreVeon Henderson run; a holding call brought back a 16-yard reception by Jacory Croskey-Merritt; and an illegal block above the waist took away 10 yards from a 26-yard return by Kazmeir Allen.

Those miscues confused Quinn, because the team had played cleanly during the joint practice earlier in the week. Some were the result of what Quinn called "overtrying;" the others showed "a lack of focus."

"Those are the ones that irritate me and drive me up a wall," Quinn said.

The Commanders have 10 days before they play another opponent, and Quinn is determined to get those issues fixed.

2. The stats don't show how good Bill was.

Jacory "Bill" Croskey-Merritt's box score numbers -- 32 yards on eight touches -- might not look impressive, but it was how the rookie got those yards that should excite fans.

Croskey-Merritt showed an ability to be a one-cut running back who was taken down and get yards after contact during practice, but the main question for him was whether he could maintain that in a game scenario. The answer is resounding "yes," as he showed impressive vision to find running lanes and shed off arm tackles. His best play -- the 16-yard reception -- was wiped away because of a penalty, but he was able to make a quick juke to gain an extra five yards and what would have been a first down.

"I like the skills that we're seeing from Bill," Quinn said. "I'm encouraged by what I've seen so far. I know he was amped and ready to go for tonight."

Croskey-Merritt's night was cut short because of a shoulder issue, but he has shown a knack for making plays with his quickness and ball security. He doesn't have a roster spot yet, but those are two key ingredients to securing one.

3. The special teams unit struggled.

The Commanders view their special teams unit as one of their "flagships," as Quinn called it, but that unit struggled just as much, and at times more so, as the rest of the team. Aside from the penalties, the kickoff group allowed 187 yards on three returns, including a 100-yard touchdown from Henderson on the first play.

"It stung for us tonight," Quinn said.

It wasn't just the returns, although the lapses in coverage were the most glaring. There were struggles with the field goal unit as well. Matt Gay missed a 49-yard field goal, which eliminated the hope spurred from the sack-fumble from Jer'Zhan Newton and recovery from Jacob Martin that set up the offense at New England's 31-yard line. It's a part of the Commanders' game that the coaches emphasize every day in practice, so to have as many issues as they did was "a gut punch," Quinn said.

Quinn also described the performance as "confusing" and "surprising," because he doesn't believe anyone on the team would have seen that as a possibility. It's worth noting that none of the starters were on the field, but to Quinn, that doesn't excuse the others from failing to meet the standards the team has set for the unit.

4. Josh Conerly had some solid snaps.

Conerly had a strong joint practice with the Patriots on Wednesday, and that carried over into the preseason game. Quinn said it felt as if Conerly was making progress.

"Protection to his side felt strong," Quinn said. "It just felt clean for him."

Conerly did not allow a sack in the 21 snaps he played Friday night, but his run blocking was also impressive. He cleared a lane for Croskey-Merritt on a five-yard run by working with his guard on a combo block before moving on to a linebacker, which allowed Croskey-Merritt to slip past him for a first down. He also showed good quickness on a screen pass, keeping flat to the line of scrimmage before working his way up to a safety.

Conerly still has work to do before being named a starter, but Quinn has seen steady improvements from him, which should get him closer to being in the starting lineup at some point this season.

5. It's still the preseason.

It's never great to lose a game, particularly by 30 points, but Friday's game must be taken with some context.

For one, a third of the Commanders' roster didn't even suit up for the game. That list includes Jayden Daniels, Deebo Samuel, Laremy Tunsil, Von Miller and several others. The Patriots had several of the starters on the field, at least for the start of the game, and it was clear head coach Mike Vrabel wanted to set a standard in his first game leading New England.

On another level, the game was a learning opportunity for the younger players on Washington's roster. They have been about the franchise's high standards, and now they have first-hand experience in what can happen if they don't meet those expectations. They made mistakes, and now it's time to learn from them.

The point is there should be no reason to change anyone's expectations for the season. They still have one of the best young quarterbacks in the backfield with more weapons and protection. It is one part of a larger attempt to evaluate the talent on the roster to determine who has earned the right to make the final cuts.