By John Sarianides

The Patriots will be playing their third pre-season game tonight when they travel to Detroit to battle the Lions. The third pre-season game is traditionally the game in which the starters play the most. Expect to see the starters play at least a half tonight.

Here are three things to watch for in tonight’s pre-season game. 

1. How Long Will the Starters Play? I asked the same question last week. The starters should play at least a half tonight but knowing Belichick the way we do around these parts, it wouldn’t surprise me if they played three quarters plus.

2.  Will We See Mike Gillislee? Mike Gillislee practiced this week and could make his long anticipated debut. It is highly unlikely Gillislee would play more than a quarter but it wouldn’t surprise me to see him get at least a couple of series to get his feet wet. 

3. What Will They Show? Since the starters are playing most of this game, it will be interesting to see what the Patriots put on film in terms of plays. Will they go no huddle? Will they show new fronts and blitzes? I am curious to see just how much they do tonight in terms of X’s and O’s. Teams typically keep it simple. It is not like they game plan for these games. 

Final Thoughts: Tonight is all repping the veterans, winning the game of possible and getting out of it healthy. Belichick and his staff still have plenty to evaluate but the focus tonight will be on the guys that have made the team.