The New England Patriots fielded the most physical football team they've had in years and absolutely demolished the visiting Washington Commanders 48-18 in Friday's preseason opener.
Yes, most of the Commanders' starters were missing in the game. And yes, the Patriots played most of their starters early in the game.
However, those aren't reasons to rain on New England's parade after hanging 48 points on the Commanders. The physical brand of football from coach Mike Vrabel's team on both sides of the ball never dwindled in the 60 minutes of allotted game time.