On Thursday night, the New England Patriots kicked off for a rainy preseason game against the Carolina Panthers, marking the beginning of a long night for fans of either team in a classic preseason slugfest.
Joey Slye was responsible for the game's opening kickoff despite a shakier start to training camp than sophomore kicker Chad Ryland. Slye also connected on the Patriots lone field goal attempt of the night (42-yards) while Ryland made both of his PAT attempts.
The Patriots defensive experience was on display throughout the entirety of the night, jumpstarted by a sack from Deatrich Wise Jr. on third-and-seven during the Panthers opening drive.
Offensively, New England's starters found less success. Following a first-down rush from Rhamondre Stevenson, Jacoby Brissett threw three straight incompletions, setting up a Bryce Baringer punt. After just four plays, Brissett's night was over as the Patriots briefly handed over the reins to Drake Maye.
Maye entered the game to cheers from a mostly-empty Gillette Stadium crowd, the product of a dreary Thursday night preseason game for a team coming off of their worst season in over three decades. Maye's first - and only - drive left a lot to be desired by fans throughout New England.
Maye dropped back to pass just three times, completing two of his attempts. With his sole downfield throw zipping through the hands of Jalen Reagor, it was an underwhelming night for the Patriots third overall draft pick. Maye completed a screen pass to Antonio Gibson for a first down immediately before targeting Reagor, and checked down a pass to Kevin Harris to end the drive soon after.
Despite conviction throughout the football world that Maye would play a significant portion of the game, head coach Jerod Mayo spoke to the media after the Patriots 17-3 victory and explained that the team had planned for Brissett and Maye to each get reps with the first team, before allowing Bailey Zappe and Joe Milton to finish the game.
Following a Bryce Baringer punt to the Carolina 11-yard line, the Patriots defense continued to shine thanks to pressure from the front seven. Jeremiah Pharms was the best defender on the field and had a crucial sack to take down Jack Plummer for a nine-yard sack. While Plummer was being brought down by Pharms, outside linebacker Anfernee Jennings nearly poked the ball out of the quarterback's hands: despite officials calling it a fumble on the field, the call was overturned following a replay.
Pharms - a 27-year-old interior defensive lineman - could see a significant amount of playing time in 2024 due to Christian Barmore being out indefinitely with his recent diagnosis of blood clots. Last season, Pharms played rotationally for the Patriots after beginning the season on the practice squad. Now, with the potential for a larger opportunity, Pharms has stood out as a game-wrecker who can make plays both in the running and passing games, making a strong case to be a viable starter in New England.
Mayo praised Pharms post-game, citing how "anytime he steps on the field, he takes advantage of that opportunity." Ending the night with four tackles and a sack, Pharms certainly took advantage of his workload on Thursday.
For the ensuing two quarters, it was the Bailey Zappe show in New England. Zappe's first drive was a testament to the reputation of preseason football: uncoordinated and sloppy plays. Starting at their own 48-yard-line, Zappe brought the Patriots up to the Carolina 35-yard-line. However, three consecutive penalties pushed New England back into a fourth-down situation with twenty-five yards to go. These penalties came on a false start from La'Michael Pettway, a hold by Mitchell Wilcox, and an intentional grounding call on Zappe.
The following three drives of the game each saw minimal action, with a total of thirteen offensive plays from both teams and a combined thirty-six offensive yards. Undrafted rookie receiver David Wallis brought some spark to Gillette Stadium, however, putting an end to the lackluster drives with his 23-yard punt return.
Wallis was the Patriots main punt-returner throughout the game, lining up as the return man more than anybody else on the team. On Friday morning, Mayo spoke highly of Wallis, mentioning how "he did a great job...He's an explosive player." Despite not being targeted offensively, Wallis showed versatility and an impressive skillset with his kick and punt returns.
Wallis' return set the Patriots up for their first touchdown drive of the game, combining with a Kayshon Boutte 28-yard reception to put the Patriots just three yards away from the end-zone. A pair of Kevin Harris rushes helped punch the ball past the goal line. The touchdown included a highlight block from Nick Leverett, who has been serving as an immediate backup to veteran starter David Andrews.
Leverett - who signed with the Patriots in free agency prior to the 2024 season - drove a defensive lineman halfway into the end-zone before throwing the defender to the ground and doing a stepover that would make Allen Iverson proud.
The Panthers responded with another scoreless drive, largely due to an intentional grounding penalty and a sack by Oshane Ximines. After spending the first four seasons of his career with the New York Giants, Ximines signed with the Patriots and has been a surprise standout at camp, going from a longshot to make the 53-man roster to a near-lock.
Ximines forced a fumble when he sacked Jack Plummer, with the ball being recovered by a Carolina lineman. However, Ximines' efforts still forced the Panthers into a third-down situation where they needed thirty-four yards to convert. A few uneventful drives rounded out the first half, with both Zappe and Plummer struggling to rally their respective offenses.
Receiving the ball after halftime, the Patriots continued to display a disappointing inability to put points onto the board. New England's first drive of the latter half of the game ended after just three offensive plays, while their second drive netted just nine yards. However, the Gillette Stadium crowd got a jolt of energy on the following drive, rising to their feet as rookie quarterback Joe Milton subbed in for Zappe.
Milton's athleticism was on full display early on, most notably during his twelve-yard scramble which - at one point - had him twenty yards behind the line of scrimmage.
On the following drive, Milton continued to shine, this time with a 38-yard laser to JaQuae Jackson down the right sideline. Jackson beat his man on an out-and-go, and Milton found him for the easy score.
Following the game, Jerod Mayo was asked who on the team surprised him the most with how well they performed, to which he replied that "the easy answer would be Joe [Milton]." The rookie sixth-round draft pick from the Tennessee Volunteers has quickly risen as a fan favorite. While Milton immediately stands out due to his strong stature, other-worldly throwing power, and ability to do standing back-flips, he is also consistently praised by teammates as one of the hardest-working players on the practice field that they have ever shared the field with.
Milton's touchdown drive gave the Patriots a comfortable lead with nine minutes remaining in regulation. New England's defense finished the game by letting up their first points of the night, coming off of a 41-yard field goal. Two plays before, rookie undrafted free agent cornerback Mikey Victor jumped in front of a pass and nearly intercepted it after bobbling it in the air. However, after the play was challenged, the pass was ruled incomplete.
The Patriots ended the game in victory formation, opting not to allow Joe Milton to run a two-minute drill situation at the end of regulation. The clock dwindled, the partially filled stands emptied further, and the Patriots won their first game of the Jerod Mayo era, 17-3.
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