FOXBOROUGH – As the rain drizzled, a sparse crowd at Gillette Stadium briefly cheered at 7:19 p.m.
That marked the first time Drake Maye entered a preseason game in his NFL career.
By 7:36 p.m., those Patriots fans were bossing.
That marked the first time Bailey Zappe entered Thursday night’s preseason opener against the Carolina Panthers.
This exhibition match between the Patriots and Panthers was largely forgettable. If anything, fans in attendance got a short glimpse of the No. 3 overall pick and a new-look Patriots team under new head coach Jerod Mayo.
As most preseason games go, this wasn’t exactly a barnburner. Jacoby Brissett got the start, went 0-for-3, and played only one series. Maye came on the field for the second drive, went 2-of-3 for 19 yards, and then his night was over. Bailey Zappe received the most reps, but it was Joe Milton III who put on a show.
For the most part, Thursday’s game was a chance for roster bubble players to attempt to show their worth. Here’s a look at who’s trending up and trending down after the Patriots 17-3 win over the Panthers:
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Drake Maye
Maye was the main attraction – even if he only played seven snaps. The rookie was the player everyone inside Gillette Stadium wanted to see. When he entered the game, fans briefly erupted.
The No. 3 overall pick performed admirably as far as preseason drives go. Following two short rushes and a false start, the Patriots were backed up, faced with a third-and-12. Maye’s first pass of the preseason turned into a first down when he hit Antonio Gibson, who scampered 13 yards downfield.
Maye dropped back on the next snap, but his throw was a bit high for the intended target, Jalen Reagor. After Gibson lost a yard on the next play, Maye connected with running back Kevin Harris, who gained six yards on third-and-11.
Joe Milton III
Milton came into the game at 4:12 of the third quarter. As soon as hit Javon Baker for a 5-yard pass, the crowd went wild.
Milton is a fan favorite and in the preseason opener, he put on a show. The rookie quarterback completed 4-of-6 passes for 54 yards to go with a touchdown. He also ran for 24 yards on three carries.
The Patriots offense was tough to watch, but the sixth-round pick brought some much-needed life to Foxborough on Thursday, leading the Patriots to two scoring drives.
At 1:46 of the third, Milton escaped the Panthers pass rush by running his right only to spin around, go backward, and run to his left en route to a 12-yard gain. It was arguably the most exciting play of the night. That play helped set up a 42-yard field goal by Joey Slye.
In the next series, Milton did it again. First, he scrambled for a gain of 13. Then, at 9:07 of the fourth quarter, the rookie threw a 38-yard pass touchdown pass to a wide-open JaQuae Jackson.
Patriots pass rush
It was a long night for the Carolina Panthers offense. Starting third-string quarterback Jack Plummer, the Patriots pass rush dominated.
The defense got off to a solid start holding the Panthers to a three-and-out in their first series. Deatrich Wise made the play of the drive with a sack on third down to force a punt.
The next Patriots defensive player to torture the Panthers was Jeremiah Pharms. On Carolina’s third series, the young defensive lineman sacked Plummer for a loss of nine. That set up another Panthers drive without a first down.
The Panthers gained their first, first down with 1:11 left in the first quarter. That drive ended with a Carolina punt when Joe Giles-Harris deflected Plummer’s pass at the line of scrimmage.
The Patriots had four sacks in the first half – Wise, Pharms, Oshane Ximes, and Christian Ellis.
Jeremiah Pharms
Jeremiah Pharms went undrafted in 2019. He played for the Wichita Force of the Champions Indoor Football League in 2021 and the Pittsburgh Maulers of the USFL in 2022.
On Thursday night, he looked like an NFL player.
The defensive tackle was dominant in the first half. He notched a sack, for a loss of nine yards, at 6:48 of the first quarter. In the second quarter, Pharms drew back-to-back holding calls. On the next snap, the defensive tackle stopped running back Mike Boone for a 2-yard gain.
Pharms had four tackles, one sack, one tackle for loss, and a quarterback hit in the first half.
Bailey Zappe
It didn’t seem fair.
This offseason, it feels like Zappe’s time in New England is coming to an end. He’s received fewer reps than Brissett, Maye, and Joe Milton III in training camp. Then on Thursday, he had the displeasure of replacing Maye after the rookie played one series.
Zappe was booed as he came on the field in the first quarter. He was also booed when he came back on the field after halftime. Zappe completed 12/20 passes for 108 yards on Thursday night.
Why did Zappe play so much when in practice he received fewer reps than the three other quarterbacks on the roster? Were the Patriots showcasing Zappe for a trade? Was he in for ‘mop-up’ duty?
Whatever it was, it wasn’t great. Zappe had some nice throws, but his unit wasn’t efficient, punting on six of seven drives. Milton then came into the game and led the Patriots to two scoring drives. It’s clear that this third-year quarterback would likely benefit from a change of scenery and that players like Milton and Maye would benefit from more reps.
Patriots Offense
New offensive coordinator. Same results.
The Patriots had a woeful offense last season, finishing tied for dead last in points scored per game (13.9). It was so ugly that it led to the departure of Bill Belichick, a new offensive staff, and a revamped quarterback room.
Unfortunately, it didn’t look much better on Thursday. Brissett played one series that saw Rhamondre Stevenson pick up a first down followed by three incomplete passes. Maye played one series where the highlight was one first down.
No one is going to forget about the Patriots putrid offensive performance until that unit looks better than below average. That didn’t quite happen in their preseason opener – until Milton came in the game.
Mitchell Wilcox
The Patriots have competition for their third-string tight end spot. Mitchell Wilcox is in a tight race with rookie Jeremiah Bell and La’Michael Pettway, but this summer, the veteran has received more reps.
That was also the case on Thursday, but Wilcox struggled. He was targeted four times, catching one pass for five yards. In the first quarter, following a false start by Pettway, Wilcox was called for a holding penalty. That pushed the offense into a second-and-19 en route to another punt.