Four things to watch for in tonight’s

preseason matchup between the Patriots and Lions." NFL preseasonPatriots Game PreviewsPatriots Game DayPatriots vs. Lions: What to Watch ForNew Cheap N'Keal Harry Jersey ,18commentsFour things to watch for in tonight’s preseason matchup between the Patriots and Lions.EDTWith the Patriots set to play their first preseason game of the year against the Detroit Lions, we shouldn’t expect to see much from the starters. Tom Brady rarely plays more than a series or two, if at all, during Week 1 of the preseason, and based on yesterday’s practice it doesn’t look like Brady or many of the projected starters are going to be taking the field tonight. That doesn’t mean that there aren’t any takeaways from this game, though; far from it. Every aspect of the NFL season has value, and the first actual “game” of the year is no different. Michael and Aidan did a great job breaking down some individual players to keep an eye on tonight, and so I thought I’d pull the camera back a bit and highlight some of the more big picture elements that are worth paying attention to. Here are four things in particular to watch for as the Patriots continue to solidify their roster.Secondary rotation. The Patriots are incredibly deep in the secondary; there are currently 16 players on the roster listed as a CB/DB. Stephon Gilmore is a lock, as are the McCourty brothers. Duron Harmon is a solid, and Nate Ebner is a core special teamer. Joejuan Williams is a lock due to his draft status...but after that? No guarantees. Players like Keion Crossen and JC Jackson will be looking to build off of solid 2018 campaigns, whereas players like Duke Dawson will be looking to showcase why they’re worthy of a spot. We won’t be able to glean much as to who will be starting come September, but the secondary is extremely crowded right now and the coaching staff is likely to be swapping guys in and out of the lineup constantly as they evaluate talent. Whoever is able to shine in very limited reps will give himself the inside track on staying on the final 53.Left tackle. Whether or not Isaiah Wynn starts tonight Womens N'Keal Harry Jersey , I’m going to be paying very close attention to the left tackle position tonight and throughout the preseason. Nate Solder was a solid LT, and Trend Brown was a monster in his limited time here - but the most important position on the enitre offensive line is now a question mark, both in regards to starter and depth at the position. Joe Thuney has seen time at tackle this training camp, as has Dan Skipper, and there have been rumors swirling regarding the Patriots trading for Trent Williams, so there is obviously some uncertainty at the position right now. The offensive line is the one unit that you can get a decent sense of during the preseason, and while all signs point to Wynn getting the nod. Belichick has never hesitated to bump a camp standout over a highly touted draft pick.Punter. Jake Bailey is apparently the real deal, with a hangtime of upwards of five seconds and the ability to coffin corner his kicks. He’s a righty, which is a big shift from how Belichick usually selects his punters, but if the reports of his training camp are accurate, Bailey could usurp Ryan Allen for good with a strong showing in a game scenario. As we saw in the Super Bowl, field position wins the day N'Keal Harry Jersey Patriots , and while you never like seeing your punter out there, it’s a crucial role for any team. Jake Bailey is also apparently a kickoff specialist, which means that Ghost no longer has to worry about placing the ball high and inside the five yard line on his kickoffs. If you remember, the new touchback rule forced Ghost to alter his kicking style, and it ended up having a negative affect on his field goal attempts. I’ll be curious to see if Bailey is able to put together both a solid day punting and kicking off.Tight end versatility. Gronk is gone, and perhaps the most unheralded aspect of his game that the Patriots are going to miss was his ability as a blocker. Not only was Gronk a receiving threat and matchup nightmare, but he was hands down the best blocking tight end in the league, and the ability to move him all over the line depending on what the defense was showing was an incredible weapon for this offense. Without that, New Englnd may be forced to show its cards a little more regarding where they have the tight end lining up. Lance Kendricks is still nursing an injury and Ben Watson is both old and suspended for the first four games of the season, so it’s likely to be Matt LaCosse and Stephen Anderson getting reps tonight, with 2nd year man Ryan Izzo contributing late. Will they line up mostly at the line? Out wide? Any versatility there whatsoever? Now is for sure the time to experiment with it, so I’ll be looking for what the Patriots are hoping to get out of the position in 2019. The Patriots are once again playing in the Sunday night primetime slot Youth N'Keal Harry Jersey , but it will be impressive if this one even comes close to matching the thrill ride they gave us last time.The last time we saw the Pats on Sunday Night Football, they battled Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs to a 43-40 victory in what will probably be the game of the year. This time around, they get Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers. Even if this is a less-than-stellar Packers team, it will still be a matchup of the two best quarterbacks in the league.That fact alone will make this an absolute must-see matchup.While Green Bay is only 3-3-1 and doesn’t present quite the same offensive threat that Kansas City did, you can never not view Rodgers as a threat. He’s the most naturally gifted quarterback the NFL has to offer, and maybe even of all time. He has the skills to always make the Packers dangerous, even if the team around him isn’t much to behold. With that being said, the Packers almost became the first team to beat the Rams last week, until a costly fumble killed any chance they had of pulling out the victory. They will present another interesting test for the Pats, who struggled to get the offense rolling in Buffalo this past Monday night.Simply put, these are two imperfect football teams with all-time great quarterbacks. And any time Rodgers and Tom Brady share the field, it’s going to be a great game.And with that Color Rush N'Keal Harry Jersey , let’s get to the picks for Week 9鈥?Home teams in caps, and all spreads courtesy of OddsShark.com)REDSKINS (-1.5) over FalconsThe Redskins have been the biggest surprise of the season so far. I, like many others, thought their season was cooked in training camp when Derrius Guice went down with a torn ACL. But then Adrian Peterson came in and somewhat revived his career, and Washington is stunningly in first place in the NFC East, even ahead of the defending Super Bowl champs. Color me shocked.Bears (-10) over BILLSWithout Josh Allen, you just can’t expect this Buffalo offense to do anything. Derek Anderson was their quarterback last week, and they managed two field goals against the Patriots. And the Bears have a more deadly defense than the Patriots do.If you don’t believe me, the Bills are only averaging 10.9 points. You aren’t going to cover many spreads that way.Lions (+5.5) over VIKINGSI’m not sold on either team in this game, but the Lions are 5-1 against the spread in their last six games and are 6-1 straight up in their last seven divisional games.Chiefs (-8.5) over BROWNSThe Browns have actually been a pretty decent team to bet on this year as they are 5-3 against the spread. But against this Kansas City offense? No way.DOLPHINS (-2.5) over JetsThe Dolphins seem like a safer bet at home than the Jets — who failed to cover last week against a Bears team that was missing both Khalil Mack and Allen Robinson — do on the road.Steelers (+2.5) over RAVENSThis one is tricky. The Steelers haven’t lost since the Ravens handed them a 26-14 defeat in Week 4. At the same time, the Steelers are also 1-5 against the spread in their last six games against Baltimore. How’s that for a dilemma?PANTHERS (-6.5) over BuccaneersWe all got sucked into the whole FitzMagic thing two months ago. Let’s not do that again.Texans (+1) over BRONCOSIt’s the return of Demaryius Thomas to Denver just days after the Broncos traded him away. Anyone else think it would be fun to see him go off for three touchdowns and like 180 yards?SEAHAWKS (-1) over ChargersI’m still over waiting for the Chargers to collapse. It’s taking much longer than I hoped.SAINTS (+2) over RamsThe Rams have to lose at some point, right? They showed signs of vulnerability last week against the Packers New England Patriots Jersey 2019 , surviving in the final minutes thanks to a Ty Montgomery fumble. Now they face the Saints at home, who are 6-1 and 5-2 against the spread. If the Rams are going to lose a game this season, it might be this one.PATRIOTS (-5.5) over PackersThe Pats have won 11 straight home games and nine of them have been by at least seven points. As great as Aaron Rodgers is, I don’t think the Packers are going to have it at Gillette Stadium this weekend. If the game was being played at Lambeau Field, then it would be a different story.COWBOYS (-5.5) over TitansThis one is a tossup. Neither team can be trusted. I guess the Cowboys at home seems fair, but I’m not really sure. Too bad we can’t trade this Monday night game out with the Steelers-Ravens game or something like that.Last week: 7-7This week: 0-1Season: 58-59-5