FOXBORO --- The first New England Patriots victory of the 2026 NFL (pre)season has hit the history books. The Patriots took down the Philadelphia Eagles 24-21 on Saturday night, in about as "thrilling" of a fashion a preseason game can be.
In a game with no appearances from projected starters, some depth pieces rose their stock throughout the evening. Others, as head coach Mike Vrabel alluded to, did not. Here are the three biggest risers, and fallers, from New England's preseason Week 2 win.
Aug 22, 2026; Foxborough, Massachusetts, USA; New England Patriots running back Lan Larison (34) runs after a catch against the Philadelphia Eagles during the second half at Gillette Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Gregory Fisher-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
Larison makes the riser-faller list for the second consecutive week , although this time for the right reasons.
In the Patriots' 13-13 tie with the Indianapolis Colts last Thursday, Larison simply seemed to have no juice. While his box score stats looked solid (he led the team with six receptions), the 24-year-old struggled to fight through contact and didn't have any truly impactful plays throughout the night.
On Saturday night, however, it was a polar opposite. Larison ran with force, consistently breaking tackles to gain extra yards. On a fourth-and-one play, the second-year running back was hit behind the line of scrimmage, but surged forward to move the chains.
Later, on third-down during New England 's go-ahead drive at the end of the game, Larison caught a short checkdown and dragged a defender nearly five extra yards to move the chains.
"I felt like Lan certainly had a good performance," Vrabel said after the game. "A gritty, tough performance tonight and did some really good things. It's fourth and one and he gets hit behind the line of scrimmage and finds a way to get the first down ... then there on third down when we needed it at the end of the game."
Jul 28, 2026; Foxborough, MA, USA; New England Patriots linebacker Chad Muma (49) walks to practice for training camp at Gillette Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Eric Canha-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
Throughout training camp, Muma has seemingly been the Patriots' third linebacker behind starters Robert Spillane and Christian Elliss . However, two poor preseason performances may put the veteran's roster spot in jeopardy.
While Muma may have been playing through an injury (he's been an on-and-off participant in camp the past week), his play on Saturday certainly did not help his roster case. The 27-year-old missed a handful of tackles, and his playing speed seemed to be a tick behind everybody else on the field.
Not to mention, Muma suffered an injury in the final minute of the game. While the extent of the injury is unclear, it capped off an uneventful night for one of New England's projected top backups.
Aug 22, 2026; Foxborough, Massachusetts, USA; New England Patriots wide receiver Nick DeGennaro (23) celebrates after scoring the game winning touchdown in the second half against the Philadelphia Eagles at Gillette Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Edward Finan-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
Scoring a game-winning 37-yard touchdown makes you a near-lock for the "risers" category. balled and got the go-ahead TD. Pair that with catching four of your five targets and hauling in 61 yards worth of passes, it was a near-perfect night for DeGennaro.
The undrafted free agent from James Madison did not catch a pass last week against the Colts, but made up for it with his performance on Saturday night.
Aug 22, 2026; Foxborough, Massachusetts, USA; New England Patriots running back JaMycal Hasty (39) breaks a tackle in the second half against the Philadelphia Eagles at Gillette Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Edward Finan-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
In a competition for the Patriots' third running back spot, and on Saturday Hasty was outdone by Larison, Jam Miller and Hassan Haskins .
The 29-year-old, who has had multiple previous stints in New England, rushed for just 12 yards on five attempts. Pair a lack of production with a lack of ball security, and Hasty was a borderline liability in the Patriots' close win.
Hasty was signed by New England just last week as a potential replacement for then-projected third running back Terrell Jennings .
Aug 22, 2026; Foxborough, Massachusetts, USA; New England Patriots cornerbacks Kindle Vildor (28) and Marcellas Dial Jr. (27) celebrate after a defensive play in the second quarter against the Philadelphia Eagles at Gillette Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Edward Finan-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
Vildor came into training camp as a part of a logjam of depth cornerbacks, fighting for a spot with Charles Woods , Karon Prunty, Kobee Minor , Marcellas Dial Jr., amongst others. Despite a slow start to camp, Vildor had picked up the slack on recent weeks.
Fast forward to Saturday night, and he looks to have separated himself from that group of cornerback depth.
Vildor had a sequence on Saturday which included a would-be interception wiped out by a penalty, a pass broken up on the next play and another one two snaps later. With New England's questionable cornerback depth, Vildor could see legitimate playing time with the Patriots this season.
Aug 13, 2026; Foxborough, Massachusetts, USA; New England Patriots offensive tackle Lorenz Metz (72) warms up with offensive tackle James Hudson III (51) before a game against the Indianapolis Colts at Gillette Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Eric Canha-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
Hudson gets the knock as a "faller" due to his two penalties on the Patriots' first drive. On the team's first play from scrimmage, the right guard was flagged for a holding penalty. Later that drive, he was penalized for the same reason, although the penalty was declined.
While Hudson's blocking performance alone wasn't quite worth of a "faller" spot, the duo of penalties on the opening drive would have killed any moemntum the Patriots had gained.
This article was originally published on www.si.com/nfl/patriots/onsi as 3 Risers, 3 Fallers From Patriots' Preseason Win Over Eagles: Young RB, WR Step Up .
