There were winners and losers in the battle for places in the Patriots’ loss to the Commanders in the preseason

LANDOVER, Maryland – Here’s a look at the Patriots’ winners and losers in their 20-10 loss Sunday in the final preseason game against the Commanders.

winner

Quarterback Drake Maye: It was against Washington’s junior varsity defense, but it was hard not to be impressed with the freshman, who produced despite an inadequate offensive line. Maye took over after a series from Jacoby Brissett, shook off a bad snap and led the Patriots to their only scoring drive of the first half, an 11-play sequence that included a 17-yard run for a first down. He lost control twice (once was a botched center/quarterback exchange), but all in all, it was an excellent start for Maye, who completed 13 of 20 for 126 yards and a touchdown and played well into the second half.

WR KJ Osborn: The veteran returned late in the second half and provided some momentum to the offense, catching two balls for 17 yards in the first two quarters, but had a 48-yard touchdown negated by an illegal formation maneuver against left tackle Chukwuma Okorafor.

C Charles Turner: You want a New England offensive lineman who shows a fighting spirit? The rookie from LSU was aggressive in the fourth quarter, going after the Washington defense. It wasn’t much, but on a night when the defense struggled, he gave it his all.

Linebacker Joe Giles-Harris: The 6-foot-2, 235-pound linebacker, who is still on the fringe of the race for a roster spot, contributed with a nifty interception midway through the second quarter. (He had five tackles.) Christian Ellis, who is in the same boat, also had plenty of possession. (He led the team with 11 tackles.) And Isaiah Bolden nearly intercepted a pass when he jumped the route on a throw from Trace McSorley early in the second half.

K Chad Ryland: The second-year kicker, who is in a battle with Joey Slye, made a 38-yard field goal and converted his only extra point opportunity. (Meanwhile, Slye missed a 64-yard attempt at the end of the first half.) It may not have been enough to win him the job—Slye has been a bit more accurate than Ryland over the course of camp—but he finished the game strong.

LOSER

OT Chukwuma Okorafor: The left tackle was penalized three times in the first half for illegal lineup. (Two times the penalty was declined.) One time, Maye’s 48-yard touchdown pass to Osborn was negated. The Patriots have made a lot of changes at the left tackle position, especially after Vederian Lowe was sidelined this month with an oblique abdominal muscle injury. It remains to be seen if Okorafor is the solution. (The offensive line was penalized eight times in the first half, four times declined.)

C Nick Leverett: Leverett, who was set to start at center (veteran David Andrews had the night off), delivered a deep shotgun snap to Maye on his first drive. There was also a botched center/quarterback swap, and he was in the thick of things up front during the early collapse. Leverett was mostly solid this summer as he climbed the ranks on the infield, but there is a significant drop off in performance after Andrews.

G Sidy Sow: The guard stepped on Mayes’ foot on one play and collided with Layden Robinson on another. The latter led to a scary hit on Brissett in the first quarter and likely contributed to the quarterback being benched shortly afterward. Sow was knocked out of the game late in the first half with an ankle injury. It wasn’t a particularly good night for one of the mainstays of the offensive line this summer.

WR Kayshon Boutte: He has flashed at times this summer, but is on the fringes of the rankings. He battled David Wallis and Kawaan Baker for targets in the second half, but failed to record a single catch. Not a good sign for his future in New England. (Could he make the practice squad?)

CB Marcellas dial: The freshman was flagged for two defensive pass interferences in the second half, totaling 38 yards. Teammate Azizi Hearn also had a rough ending: He was tackled by McSorley on the sideline at the end of one play and received a pass interference penalty on the next play.

Christopher Price can be reached at [email protected]. Follow him @cpriceglobe.