Drake Maye makes QB debut as Bill Belichick-less Patriots beat Panthers 17-3 in preseason game

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. (AP) — Drake Maye, the third overall pick in the 2024 draft, played one series in his debut with New England on Thursday night, and the Patriots played their first game in 24 years without Bill Belichick as coach, beating the Carolina Panthers 17-3 in a preseason game.

New England’s new coach, 38-year-old Jerod Mayo, dressed in a white short-sleeved Patriots’ pullover, became the NFL’s youngest coach when he was hired on Jan. 12, one day after Belichick agreed to depart as coach and left the organization.

It was the first time since Jan. 2, 2000, that the Patriots played without Belichick on the sideline. He led them to six Super Bowl titles.

“That was always the plan,” Mayo said of Maye’s short stint. “The plan was to get him in there for one series.”

Carolina also played its first game under a new coach, with Dave Canales making his debut as the franchise’s seventh.

“Tonight was about our first-time guys, the rookies, the guys that haven’t had a chance to play in the NFL. I think what they found tonight is: it’s just football. They ran and they played hard,” Canales said after not playing any of his first-teamers. ”For me, it was just a great opportunity to be able to talk to the coaches, talk to the officials. ... It was just great reps for me to just get the flow how the communication happens and being able to work all through that.”

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Panthers quarterback Bryce Young, the top pick of the 2023 draft, didn’t play. Projected backup Andy Dalton was sidelined with a strained quadriceps.

Maye trotted onto the field with light rain falling for the Patriots’ second series and got a nice ovation from the sparse crowd. He completed his first attempt, a screen to Antonio Gibson for 13-yard pickup. He was high on his first throw down the field, ending his night 2 for 3 for 19 yards.

“I think I was a little nervous,” Maye said. “I think if you’re not getting nervous, then it doesn’t mean something to you. That’s how I look at it. I think nerves are a good thing. After you get that first snap, they blow the whistle at the end of the first play, you kind of settle in.”

The crowd booed when Bailey Zappe came onto the field for the Patriots’ third series. Probable season-opening starter Jacoby Brissett went 0 for 3 in the first series.

“When it was happening the opposite way, it really didn’t bother me,” said Zappe, who was a fan favorite last season when many wanted former Pats’ QB Mac Jones benched. “When it’s happening this way, it didn’t bother me at all, either.”

Zappe, who played a good portion of last year, went 12 for 20 for 108 yards. Rookie Joe Milton III, a sixth-round pick from Tennessee, played the final quarter and a half, thrilling the crowd with a couple of scrambles. He was 4 of 6 for 54 yards, including a 38-yard TD.

Jack Plummer completed 11 of 21 passes for 86 yards for the Panthers, and Mike Boone, one of seven backs currently on the roster, had eight carries for 34 yards.

For some Patriots fans not seeing Belichick on the sideline felt unusual.

“It is different. That’s why we’re here tonight because I want to see what we’ve got,” said 61-year-old Fran Vicino, who has held Patriots season tickets for 10 years.

In a matchup of the NFL’s two lowest-scoring teams last season — they both averaged 13.9 points — New England took a 7-0 lead on Kevin Harris’ 2-yard TD run midway into the second quarter after Zappe hit Kayshon Boutte with a 28-yard toss down the left sideline.

Carolina finished with the worst record last year, going 2-15. The Patriots were tied for second-poorest, at 4-13, with Washington.

HE’S BACK

Patriots corner Christian Gonzalez, a 2023 first-round pick who had his promising rookie season cut short by a shoulder injury, started and played the opening two series.

INJURIES

Panthers: Defensive tackle Jaden Crumedy suffered an ankle injury and right tackle Badara Traore hurt his knee.

Patriots: None announced.

UP NEXT

Panthers: Host the Jets in their second preseason game on August 17.

Patriots: Host the Eagles on August 15.

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