FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- About 53 minutes before the kickoff of Monday night's preseason clash between the Patriots and Eagles, Jay-Z's “Public Service Announcement” blared through Gillette Stadium's speakers. Just as the beat started, New England's quarterbacks jogged onto the field from the corner of the lighthouse end zone, as is custom at home games.

This time, though, there was one person missing.

Tom Brady wasn't among them.

And, on this night, he was hardly alone in his absence.

His Patriots opening a stretch where they'll play three exhibition games in the span of 10 days, coach Bill Belichick decided to sit his star quarterback and more than two dozen others whose roster spots and roles are relatively well established at this point in training camp, or who are dealing with some degree of injury.

The Eagles won the game, 27-17.

Also among the missing were receivers Wes Welker and Brandon Lloyd, tight ends Aaron Hernandez and Rob Gronkowski, linebacker Jerod Mayo, defensive lineman Vince Wilfork and cornerback Devin McCourty — which left the stage for the guys fighting to forge their place with decisions upcoming. And there were a few players in particular who seized the spotlight while it was up for grabs.

With an injury leaving Jabar Gaffneyon the sidelines with Lloyd and Welker, one of the night's louder statements was made by Deion Branch — the venerable veteran who played most of the game at one wide receiver spot, while Donte Stallworth played the other.

By the end of last season Branch had begun to show the wear of 10 injury-riddled years in the NFL, and he missed the Pats' preseason opener earlier this month. But Monday night he looked sharp. His quick cut drew a holding call against cornerback Nnamdi Asomugha to extend a drive in the first quarter, then he made a 20-yard catch to get New England into position for the game's first touchdown. He made grabs in the second and third quarters, too, syncing well with backup quarterbacks Ryan Mallett and Brian Hoyer.

Stallworth, on the other hand, struggled to get open. He was repeatedly targeted deep, but the one-time burner had difficulty getting separation, and only one of the first six passes thrown his way actually ended up in his hands. Likewise, rookie Jeremy Ebert made little impact in his extended look.

On the contrary, tight-end-in-training Alex Silvestro caught both balls thrown his way in the first half, including a 7-yard touchdown, and seemingly helped his chances of sticking around. Defensively, veteran Bobby Carpenter again looked quick to the ball, and Brandon Spikes was energetic — to say the least — in his preseason debut. Fellow third-year players Ron Brace and Jermaine Cunningham, both facing some urgency, both played well near the defensive line of scrimmage.

The expectation now is that New England's starters will see most of the action in Friday night's exhibition, when the Patriots play at Tampa Bay. Some having played just two series, and others — like Logan Mankins — yet to enter the fray, there's plenty of work for them still to do.

Monday, though, was about getting work for the rest.

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NOT that he needed any justification to sit so many starters, but Belichick's decision was validated to be cautious rather than risk injury was validated in the first quarter, when Philadelphia quarterback Michael Vick and New England safety Patrick Chung each left with injuries incurred in collisions.

Vick took a big hit from Cunningham, but eventually dropped to a knee and left the game. After walking gingerly to the locker room, he had x-rays taken of his ribs — two of which were broken last year — and though those images showed no breaks, the quarterback did not return. Nick Foles took over, and played until the fourth quarter.

Chung stepped up to stop a LeSean McCoy run, but came away with an injury to his shoulder. After trainers briefly worked on him at the bench, he was taken to the locker room and didn't reappear.

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Dave D'Onofrio covers Boston sports for the New Hampshire Union Leader and Sunday News. His e-mail address is ddonof13@gmail.com.