FOXBOROUGH — As the Patriots opened the preseason, an unexpected quarterback saw the lion’s share of the reps against the Panthers on a rainy night at Gillette Stadium.
It wasn’t starter Jacoby Brissett, No. 3 overall pick Drake Maye, or rookie Joe Milton III. Instead, Bailey Zappe played more than half the game at quarterback as New England knocked off a Carolina team resting most of its starters, 17-3. Here are nine takeaways from a Patriots win to open the preseason:
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1. Quick hook for top QBs on depth chart
When Jacoby Brissett came out of the game after one series and Drake Maye entered with 11:11 of remaining in the first quarter, it looked like the rookie might get an extended run at quarterback.
That wasn’t the case.
Like Brissett, Maye was only given one series under center, and then both were done for the evening. It was a surprisingly quick hook on an evening where Maye could have benefited from additional reps.
2. Fine debut for Maye
Given he only had one series under center, Maye’s debut was a small sample size, but things went OK for the No. 3 overall pick. Maye picked up a first down on a 3rd-and-12, hitting Antonio Gibson with a screen pass, and found rookie running back Kevin Harris for a short gain, too. The one time Maye pushed the ball downfield a bit was on a target to Jalen Reagor. The throw was on the high side, but it’s a pass the Patriots would probably like Reagor to reel in. Ultimately, Maye’s series ended in a Bryce Baringer punt.
3. Front seven dominates
With the necessary caveats that the Panthers aren’t expected to be a good team and rested almost three dozen players, the Patriots front seven still wrecked the offense that Carolina did field. They tagged Jack Plummer for four first half sacks, as the Panthers offense only picked up three first downs before halftime. Carolina was held out of the end zone all night and only avoided a shutout with a garbage time 41-yard field goal.
4. Pharms particularly good
Battling for a roster spot on the defensive line, Jeremiah Pharms Jr. delivered a terrific evening.
The third-year player out of Friends University sacked Plummer in the first quarter and drew back-to-back holding calls in the second to derail another Panthers drive. Originally a USFL product, Pharms has continued to improve since arriving in Foxborough. He finished the game with four tackles and was getting some run with the first-team defense.
5. Milton provides a spark
Like Mailk Cunningham last August, Milton woke up a sleepy Gillette Stadium with a second half scoring drive in the preseason opener. Milton entered after seven straight series for Bailey Zappe — no, that’s not a typo — and immediately injected some life into the crowd.
The first highlight of Milton’s third quarter was a 12-yard scramble that required far more running than 12 yards. With the ball at midfield, La’Michael Pettway couldn’t hold his block and the pocket crumbled. Milton ran backwards, which is rarely a good idea, but in this instance it worked out. Running back to the 31-yard line — 19 yards behind the line of scrimmage — Milton switched fields and looped around to sprint past his pursuers, eventually tumbling to the turf with a first down. It was highly improbable, and wouldn’t have worked against a starting defense, but the scramble was a lot of fun regardless.
In the fourth quarter, Milton tossed a 38-yard touchdown pass to JaQuae Jackson, who toasted his cornerback with a double move to shake wide open. All in all, it was a strong debut for Milton.
6. Sloppy offense early
The Patriots offense picked up four penalties on its first three series. There were false starts on Chuks Okoarfor and Pettway, a Mitchell Wilcox holding call, and an intentional grounding flag on Zappe. Even with two weeks of camp under their belt, it wasn’t a crisp start for Alex Van Pelt’s group.
7. No Judon
Matthew Judon played his customary game of catch with Patriots fans and dressed for warmups, but after the opening whistle blew, the edge rusher never got off the sideline. He was one of a handful of Patriots who didn’t play despite dressing.
Though Jerod Mayo said everyone who was healthy would play, veterans Hunter Henry, Jabrill Peppers, Davon Godchaux, Jonathan Jones, and Ja’Whaun Bentley all had the evening off. They were joined by Pop Douglas, Josh Bledsoe, and Marcus Jones, who have been limited at training camp, among other longer-term absentees.
8. An interesting captain
With Matthew Slater no longer on the roster, the Patriots sent David Andrews and Kyle Dugger out for the opening coin toss. Andrews was a no-brainer, as the longest-tenured offensive player and a seven-time captain, but Dugger was mildly surprising. A key piece in New England’s defense, Dugger hasn’t been a Patriots captain… yet.
9. Sparse attendance
A combination of rain, low expectations, and exhibition stakes had Gillette Stadium about as empty as it’s ever been for a Patriots game, even in the preseason. The fans in attendance were engaged — there were cheers for Maye’s entrance and boos when he was replaced by Zappe — but it was still jarring to see swaths of empty seats.
