Joe McConnell
The New England Patriots celebrated their first game in 24 years without Bill Belichick as coach, defeating the Carolina Panthers 17-3 in their preseason opener on Thursday.
Kevin Harris’ second-quarter rushing touchdown was the only score of the first half, with the Patriots extending their lead in a low-scoring game when kicker Joey Slye added a 42-yard field goal early in the fourth quarter.
JaQuae Jackson intercepted rookie Joe Milton’s pass for a 38-yard touchdown to further push the Patriots ahead, while the Panthers’ only points came when Harrison Mevis hit a 41-yard field goal with seven minutes left.
JaQuae Jackson, left, celebrates with Kawaan Baker after his second-half touchdown
Quarterback Drake Maye, the third overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, played in just one series in his debut for New England, completing two of his three passes for 19 yards before being replaced by Bailey Zappe in the first quarter.
“That was always the plan,” new coach Jerod Mayo said of Maye’s brief stint. “The plan was to play him for one series.”
In his debut, Maye said: “I think I was a little nervous. I think if you don’t get nervous, it doesn’t mean anything to you. That’s how I look at it. I think nerves are a good thing. After you get that first snap, they blow the whistle at the end of the first play, you settle down a little bit.”
It was the first time since January 2000 that the Patriots were in action without Belichick, who led them to six Super Bowl titles, as their head coach. Mayo became the NFL’s youngest coach when he was announced as his successor last year.
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Bill Belichick has left the New England Patriots after 24 years, after winning six Super Bowl titles with the franchise
Carolina also played its first game under new coach Dave Canales, while quarterback Bryce Young, the first pick in the 2023 draft, did not play for the Panthers.
Elsewhere, The Giants of New York Running back Eric Gray scored two touchdowns in the second quarter, winning 14-3 against the Detroit Lions on the road.
New York Giants running back Eric Gray celebrates one of his touchdowns
Gray, a fifth-round pick in the 2023 draft, exploded for 48 yards and added a one-yard touchdown to his 98 yards from scrimmage. Quarterback Tommy DeVito replaced an injured Drew Lock late in the first quarter and led New York on both touchdown drives.
Detroit’s points came on Jake Bates’ 53-yard field goal late in the first quarter. Lions QB Hendon Hooker, a 2023 third-round pick who sat out last season recovering from a torn ACL suffered while at Tennessee, finished with a career-high 34 rushing yards in his only quarter on the field.
Watch the NFL preseason live on Vscek. The Las Vegas Raiders travel to the Minnesota Vikings on Saturday (live from 9pm on Vscek Action), before the Jacksonville Jaguars host the Super Bowl champions Kansas City Chiefs (live from midnight on Vscek Mix). Watch NFL and more streaming with NOW.
