FOXBORO, Mass. — Football officially is back in New England.
The Patriots won 17-3 over the Carolina Panthers on Thursday in their preseason opener. It was a sloppy, defense-first game in which quarterbacks Jacoby Brissett and Drake Maye each played one series.
Bailey Zappe saw the bulk of the action for the Patriots, completing 12 of 20 passes for 108 yards, while rookie Joe Milton III impressed by going 4-of-6 for 54 yards and a touchdown. Running back Kevin Harris and receiver JaQuae Jackson scored the only TDs for New England, which will take the next two days off before returning to practice on Sunday.
Let’s get into the best and worst performances from the Patriots’ preseason opener.
Best Players for Patriots in Win Over Panthers
QB Joe Milton III
Let’s not go crazy, as Milton wasn’t asked to do anything overly difficult and was playing against the dregs of Carolina’s roster. His best plays were a 12-yard schoolyard scramble and a 38-yard TD throw to a wide-open receiver.
Still, Milton did his job well — and made some fun plays along the way. Check these out:
.@Qbjayy7 running alllll over the field 🏃💨
📺: @wbzsports pic.twitter.com/Q3ZqVuIuTb
— New England Patriots (@Patriots) August 9, 2024
JOE TO JAQUAE DIMEEEE!!@Qbjayy7 | @quaerid_9
📺: @wbzsports pic.twitter.com/OvSO4Mdo76
— New England Patriots (@Patriots) August 9, 2024
Milton definitely popped more in this game than he has during training camp, where he’s rightly been forced to run a simplified offense and learn the basics. His talent is legitimate, though his ability to run a real NFL offense remains very much up for debate.
Patriots fans will surely try to make “Milton Magic” a thing similar to how they clung to “Malik Mania” in 2023. But it’s important to note that while the 24-year-old Milton is more experienced and arguably more poised than 21-year-old Maye, the former is a more deeply flawed prospect.
Fans who watched Milton in college know how ugly it can get when he faces a real defense. He has zero chance of starting for the Patriots this season, barring disaster.
With all that said, Milton further separated from Zappe on Thursday night. The battle for the No. 3 QB job likely is over.
LB Oshane Ximines
We told you to keep an eye on Ximines — and we weren’t kidding.
The veteran continued his impressive summer by racking up three tackles, one sack, two quarterback hits, one forced fumble, and multiple quarterback pressures. He nearly tackled Jack Plummer for a safety late in the first half.
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With Joshua Uche nursing an injury and Matthew Judon’s future uncertain, Ximines has an opportunity to earn a roster spot. The former New York Giant helped his case with Thursday night’s performance.
WR Kayshon Boutte
You’ve gotta give Kayshon Boutte credit.
He didn’t do anything as a rookie during the 2023 season, but he’s been impressive in nearly every other setting. Boutte rarely has a bad training camp practice and seemingly always makes plays during preseason games.
That trend continued on Thursday when the second-year receiver caught three balls for 53 yards, including this 28-yarder:
GET UP @KayshonBoutte1!!
📺: @wbzsports pic.twitter.com/TKOl5FsdZ0
— New England Patriots (@Patriots) August 9, 2024
It’s hard to predict whether Boutte will make the 53-man roster. The Patriots might have just one open receiver spot, though the number could be two if Kendrick Bourne begins the season on the PUP list.
Boutte currently is competing with JuJu Smith-Schuster (more on him in a bit), Jalen Reagor, and Tyquan Thornton. You could argue he’s been the best of the group this summer, with Thursday’s performance the latest example.
Boutte’s biggest issue: drops, two of which he had in this game. If he can clean that up, he’ll be in good shape.
Honorable mentions: Jeremiah Pharms, Anfernee Jennings, Ja’Lynn Polk, Deatrich Wise, Nick Leverett, Marco Wilson, David Wallis, Terrell Jennings, JaQuae Jackson
Players who Struggled in Patriots-Panthers
Starting Tackles
The Patriots started Vederian Lowe at left tackle and Chukwuma Okorafor at right tackle. The duo played well during Brissett’s lone series, but it was a different story when Maye took the field.
The rookie quarterback saw just seven snaps, with Lowe and Okorafor struggling on nearly all of them. Lowe allowed a quarterback pressure and a run-stuff, while Okorafor committed a false start and allowed a pressure.
Just look at Lowe (No. 59) on this 13-yard catch-and-run by Antonio Gibson:
.@DrakeMaye2 to Gibson to move the chains ⛓️
📺: @wbzsports pic.twitter.com/FvfkqDAJNi
— New England Patriots (@Patriots) August 8, 2024
Head coach Jerod Mayo probably entered the game planning to insert Zappe for the third drive. But if he pulled the plug on Maye due to the struggles of Lowe and Okorafor, we wouldn’t blame him.
To be fair, Lowe and Okorafor have been solid during training camp. Let’s see how they respond.
WR JuJu Smith-Schuster
Smith-Schuster lands in this section for being totally invisible, which is in line with his second training camp in New England.
The veteran receiver has been a non-factor all summer, and that continued Thursday night when he saw barely any snaps. Smith-Schuster was an afterthought, something he can’t afford to be as he faces an uphill climb toward making the roster.
The Panthers’ Offense
We wouldn’t normally do this, as we try to keep the focus on Patriots players. But Carolina’s offense was that bad.
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With Bryce Young getting the night off, quarterbacks Jack Plummer and Jake Lutton combined to complete 18 of 30 passes for 124 yards and zero touchdowns. The Panthers’ offensive line surrendered five sacks, and the running game averaged just 3.6 yards per carry.
When the dust settled, Carolina had 151 yards of total offense and seven first downs while going 2-of-14 on third downs. Just putrid.
Honorable mentions: Calvin Anderson, Caedan Wallace, JaMycal Hasty, Michael Jordan, Jacoby Brissett