Patriots vs. Panthers: Score and Twitter Reaction from 2016 Preseason

Week 3 of the NFL preseason rolled along Friday night at Bank of America Stadium, and the New England Patriots put forth a largely strong effort in their regular-season dress rehearsal with a 19-17 win over the Carolina Panthers.   

The Patriots are now 3-0 in exhibition play, while the Panthers dropped to 1-2 with one week remaining before the regular season kicks off.  

Tom Brady's return to the gridiron was the story of the evening.

After sitting out the Patriots' first two preseason contests—including Week 2 after he reportedly sliced his thumb on a pair of scissors—Brady was the second quarterback in for the Patriots behind Jimmy Garoppolo.  

And after Garoppolo struggled to find his footing against the Panthers' attacking defense, Brady provided some relief when he came in and immediately hit Aaron Dobson for a 37-yard connection that set New England up for a field goal—the game's first three points. 

Then, just under five minutes into the second quarter, Brady dropped a pass in the bucket to Chris Hogan (five catches, 62 yards) for a picturesque 33-yard touchdown to put the Pats up 9-0, as the NFL documented on Twitter: 

The Boston Herald's Jeff Howe was among those in awe of Brady's accuracy: 

By the time his night came to a close, Brady completed three of his nine passes for 76 yards and one touchdown.  

Garoppolo, meanwhile, received primary snaps in advance of his four-week interim starting gig that will coincide with Brady's league-imposed suspension. 

And it was not pretty. 

After playing the majority of the first quarter, one drive at the end of the second quarter and most of the third quarter, the third-year signal-caller exited with 57 yards on 9-of-15 passing, no touchdowns and no interceptions.

The Boston Globe's Ben Volin explained the contrast in talent under center was evident Friday night: 

Cam Newton—who suffered a hairline rib fracture two years ago in preseason action against the Patriots—looked uncharacteristically rusty throughout the opening stages of Friday night's contest. 

Not only did Newton complete just two of his first six passes, but he also failed to link up with wide receiver Kelvin Benjamin (three catches, 27 yards) and re-establish the chemistry that made them such a lethal duo two seasons ago, as NFL.com's Chris Wesseling noted:

NFL.com relayed video of the interception that was intended for Newton's No. 1 wideout: 

All told, the 2015 NFL MVP completed 13 of 29 passes for 100 yards and two interceptions in two quarters and change.  

Even though Newton struggled, the Panthers' rushing attack stoked optimism in the early going. 

Specifically, second-year tailback Cameron Artis-Payne looked fresh running behind the Panthers' first-team offensive line. On nine carries, Artis-Payne scurried for 28 yards to complement Jonathan Stewart, who toted the rock three times for 23 yards. 

Sticking with the rushing theme, the Patriots received a boost out of their backfield thanks to a strong showing from Tyler Gaffney, as CSN New England's Tom E. Curran observed: 

Gaffney tallied 35 yards on nine carries, and the Patriots have to hope the former Stanford Cardinal standout continues to elevate up his developmental parabola with the regular season fast approaching. 

While LeGarrette Blount is a forceful and effective rusher, he's not a three-down back. The Patriots need to fill the void left by Dion Lewis, who is sidelined after undergoing a second knee surgery stemming from last season's torn ACL. 

Gaffney answered the call Friday with gusto, which means head coach Bill Belichick could face a tough decision or two in the days ahead as he attempts to sketch out how his backfield will function sans Lewis.  

So while the night may have been up and down in many respects, there were positives for the reigning AFC East champions to glean from the proceedings despite Garoppolo's underwhelming display. 

As for the Panthers, head coach Ron Rivera and Co. will need to devise a way to improve their offensive efficiency in advance of a Week 1 Super Bowl rematch against the Denver Broncos and their dominant defense. 

Postgame Reaction

"This game was about missed opportunities," Rivera said, per the team's official Twitter account. "We didn't play the way we're capable of."

"We will be better from this," Newton added of the loss, according to Max Henson of Panthers.com. "It was eye-opening."

"You look at the mistakes we made," linebacker Thomas Davis said, according to ESPN.com's David Newton. "Those are the mistakes that teams that are not as good as we are, that are not as talented as we are, make."

Reaction from the Patriots was similarly tempered. 

"We just have to get the little things corrected; they’ll bite us in the butt," Garoppolo said, per Volin. 

"We’ve got two weeks until (Week 1), and we’ll work our tails off to get to that point," Garoppolo noted, according to NESN.com's Zack Cox. "We’ll get there."