Foxboro, Mass. — A preseason game in the rain between two teams projected to be among the NFL’s worst went about as you’d expect.
The New England Patriots and Carolina Panthers combined for 18 punts, 15 penalties and just 20 points. In the end, the Pats notched a 17-3 win, but as is always the case in the preseason, the result didn’t matter as much as the performances.
With that in mind, let’s examine whose stock rose and whose fell after the first of New England’s three exhibition games.
Fallers
Offensive operation
While recognizing that this was just a preseason game and the starters weren’t going to get many reps, one of the things the Patriots really wanted to see was clean execution from the offense. Even if it didn’t look great, they hoped to have everything run properly.
That didn’t happen.
The Patriots had four penalties in their first 17 plays. They had two false starts in their first three drives.
Chukwuma Okorafor had a false start on the second snap with Drake Maye, which put the offense behind the chains on his lone drive. Overall, it was too sloppy from that group. They’ll need to clean things up with a joint practice against the Philadelphia Eagles looming Tuesday.
Meaningful quarterback snaps
Let’s get the caveats out of the way early: This probably doesn’t matter. It’s August. It’s the preseason. It probably won’t have much of an impact on the season.
That said, it was surprising Jerod Mayo gave so many snaps to the quarterback least likely to make the team (Bailey Zappe). And it was kind of a bummer that he gave so few to Maye.
While Zappe played seven possessions from the first quarter to the third, Jacoby Brissett only got one, Maye got one and rookie Joe Milton got the final two.
There were two easy criques to that plan.
The first: Why not play Maye more? If the Pats have him penciled in as the backup quarterback, wouldn’t you want to give him as many snaps as possible now before he’s stuck on the bench at the start of the season? You could argue it’s not ideal for him to play behind a bad offensive line, but that’s the reality of the situation. Whoever the Patriots quarterback is will play behind a bad line. They’ll have to learn to manage that.
The second: Why play Zappe (who finished 12-of-20 for 108 yards) that much? He’s almost certainly not going to make the 53-man roster. And teams aren’t suddenly going to put more stock in his preseason performance against the Carolina backups than how he played last season against starters, so it’s hard to see this as a showcase for a possible trade. It was just odd. If you don’t want to give the snaps to Maye, at least give them to Milton, who made the most of his opportunity with a 38-yard touchdown pass and two long scrambles.
.@Qbjayy7 running alllll over the field 🏃💨
📺: @wbzsports pic.twitter.com/Q3ZqVuIuTb
— New England Patriots (@Patriots) August 9, 2024
TE Mitchell Wilcox
With Hunter Henry on the sideline, Wilcox got the start opposite Austin Hooper. But he didn’t do much with the opportunity.
Two drops in the first half highlighted what has been a persistent issue for him through training camp. He did come down with a tough catch at the end of the half, but it was a rough game following a stretch of poor practices.
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Risers
DT Jeremiah Pharms Jr.
He’s listed first for a reason. No one was better on Thursday night.
Pharms Jr. recorded a sack, then his presence in the backfield led to holding penalties against the Panthers on back-to-back plays.
Even if the expectations surrounding the Patriots defense remain high, the loss of Christian Barmore is a massive one. It won’t be easy to replace him.
But Pharms Jr. had a very impressive debut at taking on that role, a good sign for the Pats.
LB Anfernee Jennings
His spot on this list isn’t just because he did a good job setting the edge, but because of what he did rushing the passer.
Everyone knows he’s good against the run. That’s why he plays a meaningful role on this defense. But Jennings made a heads-up play in the first half, spotting that Panthers quarterback Jack Plummer hadn’t secured the ball as he was being sacked. Jennings knocked the ball free then fell on the fumble. It was nice to see him in the backfield to make that play in the first place. Overall, it was a good showing for Jennings, who could play a sneaky big role on the defense.
WR Kayshon Boutte
This was the kind of game Boutte needed as he continued his longshot bid to make the team. He’ll probably have to beat out two of Tyquan Thornton, Jalen Reagor and JuJu Smith-Schuster to make the roster, so it won’t be easy. But Thursday was a good start.
Boutte had a chance to come down with a deep throw on the opening drive of the second half and wasn’t able to, but he was solid otherwise. He finished with three catches for 53 yards.
GET UP @KayshonBoutte1!!
📺: @wbzsports pic.twitter.com/TKOl5FsdZ0
— New England Patriots (@Patriots) August 9, 2024
S Dell Pettus
The undrafted rookie built on the impressive practices he strung together in the last week. He’s undersized (5-foot-10) and isn’t super agile, but Pettus is a physical, tough safety who could carve out a role. He made a nice play against the run in the first half and is probably the undrafted rookie with the best chance of making the initial 53-man roster.
C Nick Leverett
With David Andrews out for part of training camp, Leverett stepped in and the offensive line didn’t miss a beat. At times, he has looked like the Patriots’ most impressive offensive lineman not named Mike Onwenu.
On the first touchdown Thursday, Leverett drove his man halfway into the end zone and finished it with a pancake block. With Leverett playing this well, the Patriots can feel good about their backup center position.
Kevo crashing 💥@kevoharris1 | #NEPats
📺: @wbzsports pic.twitter.com/VCuv0rzPCD
— New England Patriots (@Patriots) August 9, 2024
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(Photo of Drake Maye and Antonio Gibson: Eric Canha / USA Today)
