In the lone NFL preseason game Thursday night, there were very few starter-vs.-starter battles, the Philadelphia Eagles' starting quarterback was scratched due to an illness prior to kickoff, that team failed to score a point, there were several potentially serious injuries and we had a blowout on our hands from the jump. But that doesn't mean we didn't learn a lot as the Eagles stumbled their way through a 35-0 loss to the New England Patriots. Here are five takeaways from the maiden matchup in Week 2 of the NFL preseason. For the second successive week, veteran quarterback Cam Newton looked smooth while running the New England offense. He once again was particularly crisp when it came to moving the ball underneath, but he was also 3-for-3 on passes that traveled 10-plus yards, according to Pro Football Focus. The potential problem for Newton? Rookie first-round pick Mac Jones, who threw the ball better than Newton down the field last Thursday, once again looked like a veteran in the pocket and a rocket launcher on deep and intermediate passes. As The Athletic's Jeff Howe pointed out, the Alabama product was 13 of 19 for 146 yards but with three drops and a spike accounting for four of those six incompletions. Imagine if N'Keal Harry had pulled in this dime? Regardless, unless a lot changes in the team's final preseason game, Bill Belichick may have some thinking to do. The team's actions this offseason indicate they're all in for 2021, and it would be a shame to let Jones waste away on the sideline when he looks stellar and they could have used that first-round pick on an impact player elsewhere. But Newton has an MVP on his resume. He's got star power, and it's entirely possible he's getting his groove back after several disappointing but often unhealthy seasons in both Carolina and New England. Trading Newton now would be a little too bold, and it wouldn't make a lot of sense financially considering he'll make less than $6 million in 2021 without achieving incentives. Plus, the sample remains small with Jones, who hasn't faced a lot of starting competition yet. The Pats should, however, strongly consider an approach that is sometimes suggested in similar situations but almost never put into action: Using both quarterbacks situationally throughout the season.