In the second preseason game, things get a little more exciting, as starters usually play for nearly a half, while with the first series of cuts looming in just over a week (rosters must be down to 80 by Aug. 27), the snaps become so much more important for the guys on the roster bubble. With that in mind, here are 10 players we'll be keeping an eye on as the Patriots meet the Eagles Monday night at Gillette Stadium.

Brandon Lloyd: Lloyd was targeted once in the preseason opener against the Saints and didn't come away with a reception (a second pass his way was caught, but negated because of a penalty). The newcomer has appeared confident and secure in his 16 snaps with the New England offense against New Orleans. We'll see if that translates into more work this week.

(In that same vein, one thing we did find interesting: After rewatching the Saints' game, Lloyd reminded us of Randy Moss on the one target. It was a play down the sidelines, and while the defensive back was facing Lloyd, the receiver didn't give away what was going on by throwing up his hands too early and tipping off the defensive back that the ball was coming. It was something Moss did while he was here on several occasions.)

Logan Mankins: After being sidelined all spring and the start of summer because of offseason knee surgery, the All-Pro left guard returned to the practice field this week. And after spending a couple of days in shells, he was back to being his surly self, shoving around defensive linemen like he never left. It remains to be seen how much he'll play on Monday, but the return of Mankins has affected his linemates on either side of him (center Dan Koppen and left tackle Nate Solder). Not to say there isn't a lot of work to be done, but the left side of the offensive line has started to stabilize a bit.

Tom Brady: As we said last week, the quarterback is always worth watching, and this week against the Eagles is no different. It was a tough week of practice for the New England offense, and it will be interesting to see how Brady and the rest of the team responds.

Chandler Jones: On the heels of an impressive preseason opener against the Saints where he was able to get consistent pressure on the opposing quarterback, the rookie continued to have a solid week of practice. The next step for the defensive end is to develop game-to-game consistency, and that starts Monday night against the Eagles.

Who are the backup defensive ends? At this point, it certainly appears that Rob Ninkovich (left) and Chandler Jones (right) are set as the starters at end. But the recent performances of Jake Bequette and Trevor Scott have put some heat on Jermaine Cunningham, not to mention Justin Francis and Tim Bulman. In the preseason opener, Cunningham got the reps after the starters left the game, so it will be interesting to see if the Patriots go with Scott or Bequette ahead of Cunningham this week against the Eagles.

Brandon Spikes: Based on his attendance at camp this week, Spikes should be good to go on Monday night for his first preseason action of the year. When he's been healthy, the linebacker has been big against the run. Spikes also came up with the best quote of camp this week: When it came to discussing whether or not he feels comfortable enough in the defense to be aggressive, Spikes said with a laugh, "Absolutely. That’s my nature. Be aggressive, be a shark -- it’s shark week."

(It will be interesting who gets the reps at linebacker on passing downs. While Spikes and rookie Dont'a Hightower have improved in pass coverage over the course of camp, it's likely Bobby Carpenter remains as the linebacker in nickel packages, at least at this point.)

Who is returning kicks: The addition of Jeff Demps is certainly a sign that Bill Belichick and the Patriots are interested in shaking up their return game, which statistically was one of the worst in the league last season. New England has tried a lot of different bodies back there over the course of camp, including Danny Woodhead and Julian Edelman (who handled most of the duties last year), as well as Shane Vereen and Stevan Ridley. We shouldn't see Demps against the Eagles, but it will be interesting to see who will (presumably) be keeping the seat warm until Demps is ready to take over.

The running backs in the passing game: Anyone who has spent time at training camp this summer can tell you that the New England running backs are going to be included more in the passing game this season. (We did a whole feature on it here -- the change in receptions from Josh McDaniels last year as Patriots' OC to last year is quite dramatic.) At this point, that appears to be Shane Vereen's best chance to get snaps, as the second-year back out of Cal is clearly more comfortable in the passing game that his teammate Stevan Ridley. (But not as comfortable as Danny Woodhead.)

(It'll be worth watching to see if Vereen can built on his performance last week against the Saints' backups. It'll also be interesting to see if he gets any reps against Philadelphia's defensive starters, and if so, how he responds. Like Jones, for Vereen, it's all about building on the success he had in the preseason opener against New Orleans.)

How much -- if any -- will the injuries from this week at camp affect playing time? Tavon Wilson (left foot/ankle) and Stevan Ridley (right knee/leg) both had their Thursday practice session cut short (and both missed Friday). It also appeared that defensive lineman Ron Brace (back) was occasionally limited in his reps, while wide receiver Jabar Gaffney suffered a hip injury earlier in the week and missed two practices at the end of camp.

Donte' Stallworth: Stallworth continues an impressive quest to make the roster -- the veteran is clearly a different guy than the one who was here five years ago. With injuries to Jabar Gaffney and a lessened role for Deion Branch over the last week, Stallworth has done a good job of taking advantage of the opportunities that have been given to him. That's not to say there haven't been some bumps -- he had a few bad drops over the course of the week), but as of right now, he's making things tough for a coaching staff who could be forced to make some difficult decisions when the final cuts are made.