The New England Patriots finally suited up in the preseason. For the first of three exhibitions, they took on and beat the Carolina Panthers 17-3.
Takeaways From the Patriots 17-3 Preseason Win Over the Panthers
1. The Quarterbacks got their playing time
All four of the Patriots quarterbacks saw action in Thursday’s game with Bailey Zappe taking a majority of the reps with 20 pass attempts, completing 12 of them for 108 yards. Zappe led a touchdown drive in the second quarter showing himself as the longest-tenured quarterback on the team. Third-overall pick Drake Maye saw his first NFL in-game action in the first quarter, and completed two of his three pass attempts, but was quickly removed for the remainder of the game after the drive ended in a punt.
Jacoby Brissett, who has been projected to be the team’s Week 1 starter, got the start for yesterday’s game but didn’t complete even one of his three pass attempts before being pulled. The most intriguing quarterback came from rookie Joe Milton, who entered the game in the third quarter. Milton made a strong case for a roster spot with his performance showcasing his scrambling ability and athleticism before throwing a 38-yard touchdown to receiver JaQuae Jackson. Milton had the performance he needed if he hoped to beat out Bailey Zappe for a spot on the team. While the quarterback play in this game may not have any effect on the starting job, it raises some intrigue for Milton putting pressure on Maye to perform well.
2. The defense has top-tier potential
The Patriots’ defense, which has been the bright spot of the team for the past few seasons, had an impressive showing yet again, limiting the Panthers’ offense to just one field goal that occurred in garbage time. The pass rushers brought pressure on the opposing quarterbacks consistently with five sacks total on the day. Deatrich Wise set the tone early, sacking Panthers quarterback Jack Plummer on the opening drive which forced a punt. Linebacker Oshane Ximines also recorded a sack which should intrigue fans as Matthew Judon continues not to play or participate in practice with his contract dispute still lingering.
Defensive lineman Jeremiah Pharms Jr. also recorded a sack as he got the start due to Christian Barmore‘s inactivity. Ximines, Pharms, and others stepping up in this game show the potential depth of this defense. Sure it was against a Panthers team that went 2-15 in 2023 and had a rough start to their preseason as they looked to improve under first-year head coach and former Buccaneers offensive coordinator Dave Canales, but seeing young and unproven players make an impact early for a defense that has strong starters should inspire confidence.
3. The offense remains a work in progress
The big question heading into this season will be if the Patriots’ offense, which was a major weakness in 2023, can make enough of a leap so they don’t hold the defense back in 2024. In the first preseason game, both good and bad were put on display. The team still doesn’t have a clear number-one wide receiver on the roster as the ball was spread around to different guys, and nobody finished with over three catches in the game.
Kayshon Boutte had the best outing out of everyone, finishing with the team-high three catches for 53 yards, including a 28-yard reception in the second quarter, where he had to highpoint a dangerous pass by Bailey Zappe that nearly got undercut by a Panthers’ defensive back. The team still has projects like rookie receivers Ja’lynn Polk and Javon Baker, who just combined for five catches and 25 yards. 2022 second-round draft choice Tyquan Thornton still hasn’t shown much of anything finishing with zero catches in the little time he played. To Thornton’s defense, one of his targets that fell incomplete was on an underthrown ball by Jacoby Brissett and Thornton had beaten coverage deep down the sideline. The offensive line was up and down throughout the night,
4. Jerod Mayo has experience to gain
Rookie coach Jerod Mayo made his preseason debut as an NFL head coach and was a big camera presence on the sidelines during the TV broadcast. He appeared confident and in control of his team in his first outing. Some were confused by Mayo’s decisions to pull both Brissett and Maye in the first quarter after just one series for each quarterback before putting in Zappe and Milton for extended periods.
“The plan was to get him (Maye) for one series, to get Jacoby in there for one series, and then really turn it into the Zappe show and then the Joe show. That was the plan going in,” said Mayo in the postgame press conference, insisting the quarterback reps went according to plan. Mayo, a defensive-minded coach and former Pro Bowl linebacker for the Patriots had a strong and effective game plan against Carolina which hopefully carries over in other games and then into the regular season.
5. The team needs to show consistency
Despite there being reason for optimism moving forward, Thursday was a very small sample size for what the team can potentially look like. Next week, the Pats play against a much stronger offensive team in Philadelphia, so next week’s performance should be more telling. They don’t necessarily need to dominate but don’t want to come off a dominant performance against a projected bottom feeder just to faceplant in the next game. There is also plenty of room for improvement, particularly on the offensive side of the ball.
Coach Mayo alluded to protection issues impacting the frequent Quarterback changes in the first quarter of game 1, so hopefully the offensive line can have a better performance against Philly so we can get a better sample size of quarterback play, especially when it comes to Drake Maye. The more reps and experience he and Milton get as rookies, the better prepared they’ll be if Brissett is taken out or goes down in the regular season. The main takeaway from the first preseason game is that there is potential to be excited about with this team, but there are plenty of areas that the team needs to improve on moving forward.
Main Image: Brian Fluharty-USA TODAY Sports
