The New England Patriots are set to play in their third preseason game, Friday night, as they travel to Detroit to battle the Lions at Ford Field. 

The Pats are expected to play a number of starters, as they begin the final push towards the regular season, though some key guys like Rex Burkhead, Nate Solder and Malcolm Mitchell are not expected to play.

There are a handful of players worth keeping an eye out for are including running back Mike Gilislee, who had missed some time with a hamstring injury but declared himself 100% healthy earlier this week and linebacker Dont'a Hightower. Though Hightower's spot on the team is about as safe can get, it will be interesting to see how the team moves him around the field with veteran David harris capable of calling the signals and the defensive end position being pretty thin.

Tight ends Dwayne Allen and James O'Shaughnessy will also be interesting to watch, as they are both battling to make the roster. Allen is probably the favorite among the two and is a better blocker, but he has struggled to learn the playbook and has struggled to catch the ball at times over his career. Both could potentially make the roster and either could potentially get cut.

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