The Washington Commanders are kicking off the preseason by taking on the New England Patriots at Gillette Stadium. Check back to this blog for updates and stats from the game.
The Washington Commanders have begun arriving at Gillette Stadium for their Week 1 preseason game against the Patriots.
7:34 p.m.
And we're off! Washington has won the toss and will defer. Football is back!
7:37 p.m.
The Patriots didn't waste any time getting on the board. Rookie TreVeyon Henderson caught the kick at the goal line and returned it 100 yards to the end zone. There was a big hole open in the middle of the Commanders' coverage. Commanders' offense and Sam Hartman are now up.
7:40 p.m.
Tough first series for the Commanders' offense. Hartman's first pass was a little ahead of K.J. Osborn and Chris Moore dropped what would have been a third-down conversion on third-and-5. The only positive play came from Ben Sinnott, who made a five-yard grab.
7:45 p.m.
Big turnover by the Commanders defense. Johnny Newton took Drake Maye down for a strip-sack with Jacob Martin on the recovery.
7:47 p.m.
The Commanders' offense is struggling to get things started. They couldn't get any movement lined up deep in Patriots territory and had a three-and-out. What's more, Matt Gay's field goal attempt went wide left.
7:51 p.m.
Henderson is having a really good start to the day. He broke loose on an 18-yard run that was added onto a 15-yard facemask penalty.
7:54 p.m.
Patriots now in scoring position. Tyler Owens couldn't compete a tackle on Henderson, who takes the ball to the Commanders' 5-yard line. On the other hand, Trey Amos did a good job of forcing Henderson out of bounds for no gain on the next play.
8:04 p.m.
Missed opportunity from the Commanders' offense. Hartman laid out a deep shot to Chris Moore, who initially had it in his hands but couldn't maintain possession.
8:15 p.m.
First quarter is over. To sum it up, it seemed like the Commanders were playing catch-up from the start. The Henderson return didn't help, but the offense felt like it couldn't get going, aside from a few solid runs by Jacory Croskey-Merritt. Special teams has also had a difficult time with missed assignments and penalties. It's 17-0, but still time to get back in the swing of things.
The Washington Commanders have begun warming up at Gillette Stadium for their Week 1 preseason game against the Patriots.
8:20 p.m.
Washington's punt team is back on the field after six plays from the offense. Hartman had a nice throw to Michael Gallup, which resulted in a first down, but his other throws on the drive were just a little off and out of reach.
8:27 p.m.
Really nice play by Jeremy Reaves to make an open field tackle and force a fourth-down. Still, it didn't stop Parker Romo from hitting a 57-yard field goal to make the score 20-0.
8:34 p.m.
Washington's offense is starting to get some momentum. Much of that is credited to Croskey-Merritt, who has managed to keep the chains moving with short gains. They're at the Patriots' 41.
8:35 p.m.
Hartman just had his best throw of the night on a third-down pass to Gallup. It was a completion for 26 yards. Gallup now leads the team in receiving yards.
8:37 p.m.
Tough incompletion on third down. Hartman had Osborn in the corner of the end zone, but the Patriots' defensive back knocked it away at the last second. Still, the 50-yard drive put the Commanders in scoring position, and Matt Gay got them on the board with a 37-yard field goal.
8:41 p.m.
Another big return from the Patriots, this time from Antonio Gibson. Both runs came in the middle of the coverage unit. It was a 62-yard return.
8:42 p.m.
Reaves had another big hit on the sideline. However, it drew an unnecessary roughness penalty, which moved the Patriots inside the 10-yard line. Tough few plays here for Washington.
8:51 p.m.
Josh Johnson is now in at quarterback, and the offense is moving backwards. A holding play removed what would have been a explosive play from Croskey-Merritt. On a positive note, Croskey-Merritt looks really good in space.
8:57 p.m.
Croskey-Merritt is in the blue medical tent and came out without his helmet. His night is done.
9:00 p.m
Here's another positive for the offense: the pass protection has been really solid. Neither Hartman nor Johnson has gotten much pressure at all. There are other issues with the offense, but they've done their job up front.
9:21 p.m.
And we're back from halftime. The offense continues to look better with Johnson in at quarterback, although things still feel a bit laborious for the unit.
9:24 p.m.
We have our first challenge flag of the preseason. Mike Vrabel threw the flag on a pass intended for Ja'Corey Brooks, who made a 10-yard completion. The ruling was quickly upheld, though.
9:29 p.m.
Really nice block by Tyre Phillips to help Jeremy McNichols break loose down the right sideline. And with a virtual measurement, it's ruled a nine-yard gain.
9:36 p.m.
Washington's offense has its best drive of the night with a 71-yard drive. The big play of the series was from tight end Lawrence Cager, who got open outside for a 33-yard gain. Jeremy McNichols powered forward for a score to finish off the possession, and Tay Martin got the two-point conversion on a slant. It's 27-11, which feels like such a preseason score.
9:47 p.m.
Johnson interception. Jacoby Jones couldn't haul it in, and NE's Jordan Polk grabs it. New England takes over at the Commanders' 21
9:51 p.m.
The Patriots increase their lead with Ben Wooldrige in at quarterback. Johnson's interception gave New England a short field, and Wooldridge only needed four plays to find paydirt. The throw on fourth-and-1 wasn't great, but Efton Chism was able to haul it in and jogged in for the 12-yard score.
10:04 p.m.
We're at the end of the third quarter, and while there have still been some struggles, there have been some positive moments from the defense. They've done a better job of defending the run and rallying to the ball. However, explosive plays continue to be a problem.
10:09 p.m.
The score is now 41-11 after a one-yard run by Terrell Jennings. It has felt like the Commanders have been trying to get out of the mud all night.
