The Carolina Panthers sat most of their starters, and their backups were outplayed by the New England Patriots in the 17-3 loss.
First Quarter
It didn’t take long for the game to remind everyone how unexciting preseason football generally is. A run play and two incomplete passes quickly ended the Panthers opening drive. The Patriots didn’t fare much better. The Panthers took to the air on their second drive, but drops by Terrace Marshall and Jonathan Mingo led to a second straight three and out. Both teams traded a couple of punts before the Panthers finally got their first 1st down with a Mike Boone run with a minute left in the first quarter.