The New England Patriots celebrated their first game in 24 years without Bill Belichick as coach with a 17-3 win over the Carolina Panthers in the season opener on Thursday.
Kevin Harris’ second-quarter rushing touchdown was the only score of the first half. The Patriots extended their lead in a low-scoring game when kicker Joey Slye made a 42-yard field goal early in the fourth quarter.
JaQuae Jackson caught a pass from rookie Joe Milton and scored a 38-yard touchdown to give the Patriots another lead. The Panthers’ only points came when Harrison Mevis nailed a 41-yard field goal with seven minutes left.
JaQuae Jackson, left, celebrates with Kawaan Baker after his touchdown in the second half
Quarterback Drake Maye – the third pick in the 2024 NFL Draft – played 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 head coach Jerod Mayo said of Maye’s brief stint. “The plan was to get him in there for a series.”
Of 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 see it. I think nervousness is a good thing. After you get the first snap and get the whistle blown at the end of the first play, you kind of get into the game.”
It was the first time since January 2000 that the Patriots were without Belichick as head coach, who led them to six Super Bowl titles. Mayo became the NFL’s youngest coach when he was announced as his successor last year.
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Bill Belichick left the New England Patriots after 24 years, having won six Super Bowl titles with the franchise
Carolina also played its first game under new coach Dave Canales, while quarterback Bryce Young – the top pick for the 2023 draft – did not play for the Panthers.
Elsewhere, New York Giants Running back Eric Gray ran for two touchdowns in the second quarter in a 14-3 win over the Detroit Lions.
New York Giants running back Eric Gray celebrates one of his touchdowns
Gray, a fifth-round draft pick in 2023, ran for 48 yards and scored another 1-yard touchdown on his 98 yards from the offensive zone. Quarterback Tommy DeVito replaced the 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 with a torn ACL suffered at Tennessee, finished the quarter in which he played with 34 rushing yards, a team-best.
Watch NFL preseason action live on Sky Sports. The Las Vegas Raiders travel to the Minnesota Vikings on Saturday (live on Sky Sports Action from 9pm) before the Jacksonville Jaguars host the Super Bowl champions Kansas City Chiefs (live on Sky Sports Mix from midnight). Stream the NFL and more with NOW.
