5 takeaways from the Patriots’ preseason victory vs. Panthers
COMMENTARY
If wins were the ultimate measure of preseason success, there would be no rest for the starters. They would be pedal-to-the-metal for the full 60 minutes of football.
The Patriots have won their past two preseason games, but there are still some areas that have looked concerning from a Patriots perspective. Tom Brady has failed to get in rhythm with his receivers; the offensive line has struggled to give their running game the holes it needs to pick up yards on the ground and has struggled to give the quarterback the pocket he needs to operate.
But make no mistake,there were some bright spots on Friday night, too.
Here’s a look at a handful of the key takeaways from the Patriots’ 17-16 preseason win over the Carolina Panthers.
1. It’s too early to draw conclusions about the Patriots offense: Of course everyone’s freaking out about the offense; it’s the preseason and there are no starting wide receivers on the field. Tom Brady has led the Patriots offense on 11 possessions that have resulted in six three-and-outs, seven first downs, one touchdown, and two interceptions. The first interception was all on Aaron Dobson, the second interception was all on Brady.
The offense started moving the ball inside the two-minute warning of the first half, and a seam pass to Danny Amendola (his first catch of preseason) brought them inside the red zone. A beautiful fade to tight end Scott Chandler capped off the drive. The catch phrase of the Patriots’ 2015 season could very well be “fade to the big-bodied tight end in the red zone.’’
Brady’s night was done at that point, and so it ended on a high note, just as George Costanza would have liked it.
2. The Patriots defense can keep them in the game: The Patriots offense may not be in synch yet, but at least they know they can count on their defense to hold things together.
We weren’t exactly treated to a shutout performance, but if the Patriots defense has been characterized by one phrase under Bill Belichick, it’s been “bend don’t break.’’ In the first half, the Patriots defense held the Carolina Panthers to 129 yards of total offense and allowed a conversion on only three out of nine third-down tries. The Patriots also kept the Panthers out of the end zone on their lone red-zone trip in the first half.
3. Dion Lewis is close to a roster lock: There are currently seven running backs on the Patriots roster, so someone is going home. But the more time passes by, and the more situations the Patriots get in, the more it looks like former darkhorse Dion Lewis is a lock for the Patriots roster.
Lewis looks like the Patriots’ best option in terms of a third-down back; he had eight touches for 48 yards and a touchdown against the New Orleans Saints, including catches on all five passes thrown his way, and he finished against the Panthers with seven touches for 32 yards and a touchdown. Lewis was also the first player back returning kicks on Friday night.
4. Dominique Easley is still incredibly explosive: Knee injuries be damned, 2014 first-round pick Dominique Easley proved on Friday night that he still has plenty of explosiveness left in that body.
As a rookie, Easley played only 270 defensive snaps, participating in 11 games and starting in three. At that point, he was placed on injured reserve with a knee injury. The Patriots would probably like a little more than that out of him in 2015, and this was a good start.
5. Jimmy Garoppolo proves he’s not perfect: Through two games, Jimmy Garoppolo had completed 48 of his 63 passes in the preseason. He hit 28 of 33 against the New Orleans Saints and 20 of 30 against the Green Bay Packers the week before.
He wasn’t dreadful on Friday night, but he was far from perfect. In fact, his first pass of the night was nearly taken back for a pick-six. He bounced back, though, by hitting Aaron Dobson for 40 yards down the sideline and following it up with an 11-yard touchdown pass to Dion Lewis.
Through three games, Garoppolo is 61 of 80 (76.3 percent) for 554 yards, two touchdowns and two picks (92.3 passer rating). Those are respectable numbers, but it’s not worth analyzing the numbers too much. The more important thing is what he did within the context of those numbers. Garoppolo’s ability to escape the pocket and find receivers open has shone through this preseason. So has his ability to deliver accurate passes from the pocket and put the right amount of touch on the ball.
He still struggles to make the right read at some points (his near-interception was a perfect example), but he is making progress.
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