Patriots vs. Panthers takeaways: Joe Milton III impresses as New England cruises to win in preseason opener

Milton stole the show in Foxborough

The New England Patriots have their first win -- albeit preseason win -- of the Jerod Mayo era. In the exhibition opener at Gillette Stadium, the new-look Patriots were able to handle the Carolina Panthers, 17-3. 

In what was rather damp and rainy conditions, both offenses were slow to get off the ground. Nine total punts kicked off the evening before Bailey Zappe helped conduct the game's first touchdown drive that culminated with a Kevin Harris goal-line run. That proved to be the only scoring action of the first half, but things did see a bit of an uptick as the game went on and saw Patriots rookie Joe Milton III enter the fray. 

While Jacoby Brissett and Drake Maye saw limited action early in the first half, Zappe and then Milton carried the load under center. While New England mustered that first touchdown with Zappe at the helm, it was Milton who brought the most electricity to a game that sorely needed it. The sixth-round rookie out of Tennessee led his team to scoring drives on his first two drives of the night before simply taking a knee to run out the clock of regulation on his third. While he did flash with his legs, Milton's 38-yard touchdown pass to JaQuae Jackson was the highlight of the night. 

As for the Panthers, it was a quiet night for the NFC South club as they opted to rest most of their impact players, including starting quarterback Bryce Young. In his place, Jack Plummer saw the lion's share of snaps as he completed 11 of his 21 passes for 86 yards, while being sacked five times. 

Rookie standouts

Patriots QB Joe Milton III: As we noted above, when Milton came into the game, it injected some much-needed energy into this exhibition. While he wasn't going up against the toughest of competition, the sixth-round pick impressed completing four of his six passes for 54 yards, which included a 38-yard touchdown. On top of his prowess through the air, Milton also had a couple of strong plays with his feet. On one play, it looked as if he was destined to be taken down for a sack, but somehow spun out of it, found a lane, and picked up 12 yards. 

It was a solid first impression for Milton, who could make life uneasy for Bailey Zappe and his chances to make the 53-man roster.

Patriots WR Javon Baker: While two catches for 11 yards may not look like much, I thought Baker flashed at times in this win. The rookie has been putting together a solid training camp thus far, and had a nice catch in the third quarter that did't end up counting due to a penalty. Still, Baker was able to work the sideline and get both feet in bounds to make the grab, which is noteworthy.  

Panthers QB Jack Plummer: It was a rough showing for the undrafted quarterback out of Louisville. The Panthers offense as a whole was pretty stagnant throughout the night as they rested the majority of their impact players. Plummer finished 11 of 21 for 86 yards and fumbled twice. 

Patriots WR David Wallis: New England's undrafted rookie out of Randolph Macon College did flash a bit in the return game. He fielded two punts for 36 yards, including a 23-yard return that helped spark the first touchdown of the night. 

Drake Maye sees limited action

For those who tuned into this game to get a glimpse of Drake Maye, you better not have blinked. The No. 3 overall pick was in for just one series in the first half. After Jacoby Brissett started and played a series, he made way for Maye, who saw limited action. In his lone series of the night, the rookie completed two of his three passes for 19 yards. Both of his completions were on screen passes, so his talents weren't exactly put on full display just yet.

Head coach Jerod Mayo said postgame that it was the plan all along to have Maye play as much as he did. 

Kayshon Boutte flashes

It was a tale of two halves for the second-year wideout out of LSU. He caught three of his six targets on the night for 53 yards, but a few of those misses that came in the second half were simple drops. While those need to be worked out, Boutte did have a tremendous grab that helped lead to New England's opening touchdown. He was able to fight over a defender and pick the ball out of the air to bring it inside the five-yard line. 

The Patriots have a pretty crowded wide receiver room at the moment, so it could be difficult for Boutte to carve out a slot this summer. That said, he's had a couple of solid moments thus far and should that continue it may make New England think twice about letting him go. 

Top play

Joe Milton's 38-yard touchdown pass to JaQuae Jackson was the highlight of the night. Milton was able to initially look to his right to sway the coverage before uncorking a dart to the left side of the field to a wide open Jackson, who walked in for six. 

What's next

With this exhibition in the books, New England will now gear up for their next preseason game against the Philadelphia Eagles following joint practices. As for the Panthers, they'll head home to Charlotte and await the New York Jets. 

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Solid drive for Jake Luton for Carolina, albeit late in the four quarter. He's completed all five of his passes for 27 yards so far and has the Panthers on the move in what has largely been a quiet night for the offense. 

 
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Safe to say Milton is happy with his debut. 

 
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Our first passing touchdown of the summer! Joe Milton III throws a dart to JaQuae Jackson for a 38-yard score. 

 
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Another tough drop by Boutte. After a good first half, he's fallen off a bit here in the second. 

 
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Heck of a scramble by Milton! I thought he was destined for a sack and somehow found a corner to turn it into a positive gain. 

 
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Here we go! 

 
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Joe Milton III appears to be warming up on the sideline, so we may get some injection of excitement from the rookie coming in. 

 
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It continues to be the Bailey Zappe show in this opener. Some have wondered if this is a showcase for the veteran as he's firmly in a battle with Joe Milton III for the QB3 job. I don't really buy that considering the tape that's already out there on him in regular season games. I think this is merely utilizing a healthy body that protects Brissett and Maye from injury so early on. 

 
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Kayshon Boutte has impressed tonight, but he missed a catchable ball down the right sideline. 

 
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As the Patriots offense comes out to start the second half, Bailey Zappe is still in at quarterback. 

 
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Not exactly a ton of fireworks in that first half. 

Patriots logged 131 yards of total offense, while the Panthers turned in 70 yards. 

Jacoby Brissett: 0/3 passing (one series)
Drake Maye: 2/3 for 19 yards (one series) 
Bailey Zappe: 9/16 for 79 yards

Jake Plummer: 8/16 for 63 yards 

 
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Oshane Ximines, who earlier got some coaching on the sideline from Matt Judon, just forced a strip sack. Carolina recovered, but great pressure from the linebacker. 

 
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Things are starting to open just a bit for Carolina. Plummer makes a nice throw in the face of pressure to complete to Jordan Matthews for a 28-yard gain. That was just the Panthers second first down of the game. 

 
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Here's the Wallis return that helped spark that touchdown drive: 

 
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We finally have points! After the Boutte reception, Kevin Harris barrels in for a goal-line touchdown. 

 
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Kayshon Boutte has had some flashy moments dating back to OTAs and minicamp. The young wideout just had an incredible high-point catch to put New England in the red zone. 

 
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Rookie wideout David Wallis had the most electric play of the night with a 23-yard punt return. Wallis has been putting together a solid camp considering the expectations. 

 
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Shaun Wade came sooooo close to an interception after jumping a route. He was able to get both hands on it, but simply couldn't bring it in.

 
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Seven punts to begin this game. Not exactly a high-flying display of offense. 

 
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The WBZ cameras did just catch Matthew Judon -- who is amid a contract dispute with the Patriots -- being a good teammate and helping Jerod Mayo coaching up some players on the sideline.  

 
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Drake Maye's day is done. Here comes Bailey Zappe. 

 
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The Panthers have -3 yards of total offense with less than six minutes to play in the first quarter. Not ideal. 

 
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New England has been able to apply some nice pressure in this first quarter with a couple of sacks. Jeremiah Pharms Jr. with the latest on Plummer. 

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