After two weeks without number 12, Tom Brady finally made his preseason debut.
Brady would replace Jimmy Garoppolo in the first quarter. Brady was able to lead two scoring drives; one field goal after a 37 yard reception to Aaron Dobson and a touchdown via a 33 yard Chris Hogan over the shoulder catch. Garoppolo would come back in the 2nd quarter but failed to score during the 6 drives he played, one of which included a Stephen Gostkowski missed field goal. Jimmy G would finish 9 completions out of 15 passes for 57 yards. The Patriots continue their undefeated preseason, improving to 3 and 0 after beating the Carolina Panthers 19-17
Carolina’s starting quarterback Cam Newton threw for 100 yards and two interceptions, while Jonathan Stewart would rush 3 times for 23 yards.
What it Means
Week 3 of the preseason is known as being the dress rehearsal for the regular season as most starters get much more playing time than usual for the preseason. The New England Patriots defense looked amazing, shutting down Carolina’s starting offense that only one year ago was the highest scoring in the entire league. While the offense has been what was driven the Patriots to playoff success in the last few years, we may be seeing a team very similar to that of their first three Super Bowl runs. Julian Edelman did not look like himself, only catching one pass for 6 yards while being targeted several times, but this may be do just to rust from not playing in weeks 1 and 2 of the preseason. Chris Hogan looked to be proving his nickname of ‘7-11’, as he got open often and in space. It will be interesting to see the final offensive depth chart before game 1 of the regular season.
Stat of the Game
While all eyes are on Jimmy G, another Patriots quarterback not named Tom Brady looked very impressive against Carolina. Rookie Jacoby Brissett threw 2 touchdowns as well as a one hundred perception completion rate, going 9 for 9 for 85 yards. Dak Prescott, the Dallas Cowboys Rookie who will now be the starting quarterback after Tony Romo’s injury, recently said he was the smartest quarterback in this past draft. This might not be true if Jacoby has anything to say about it. If Brissett can play well, especially if Garoppollo struggles, it’s possible that we could see three starting quarterbacks for the Patriots for the first time since Brady took over.
Unsung Heroes
Trey Flowers is hungry. He has looked almost unstoppable as of late, having four assists, two tackles and one sack against a Carolina offensive line that struggled very badly in the Super Bowl against the Denver Broncos pass rush. Will he be able to do the same against an offensive line as strong as, say, the Cowboys? Only time will tell. Another player who stood out was the man often forgotten about in the Patriots receiving core because he is so often injured, Aaron Dobson. Dobson has done already during the preseason, but his two catches for 49 yards gave him the best average yards per a reception on the Patriots receiving stats sheet for the game. If he can stay healthy, he may be able to make a difference.
Noteworthy
The Patriots only converted one of thirteen first down attempts for a success rate of 7 percent. That is terrible. To succeed during the regular season they will have to play better on all downs, but especially on third when something as little as two yards could be the difference between 3 points and 7.
What's Next
In their final game of the preseason, the Patriots play the New York Giants Thursday September 1st at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey. Kickoff starts at 7 PM eastern standard time. Coverage of the game will be available locally through your CBS affiliate in New England or through the NFL Game Pass.
