FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — In an NFL preseason thirsty for rookie quarterback assessments, Thursday night began for the New England Patriots as the heavily anticipated debut of No. 3 overall draft pick Drake Maye. By the time it ended, it had transformed into the Joe Milton III Social Media/Talk Radio Bowl.
That’s the best description of what unfolded for the Patriots, who beat the Carolina Panthers’ 17-3 in a game that meant nothing unless you were measuring the ongoing hype race between the Patriots’ rookie quarterbacks.
If you went into Thursday night measuring that pair, it wasn’t much of a contest, largely due to oddly divided reps between that duo.