Patriots beat Panthers in preseason meeting in Foxboro

FOXBORO — The New England Patriots got their first win of the preseason, beating the Carolina Panthers 20-10 on Friday night at Gillette Stadium.

Mac Jones was 4-for-8 for 61 yards in his first preseason action of the year. Brian Hoyer was 2-for-3 for 30 yards in his brief work. Bailey Zappe was 16-for-25 for 173 yards with an interception. Neither Sam Darnold nor Baker Mayfield played for Carolina, with P.J. Walker and rookie Matt Corral splitting QB duties on the night.

The Panthers got the scoring started late in the first quarter, with a nine-play, 55-yard drive that ended with a 27-yard chip shot field goal by Zane Gonzalez.

The Patriots responded with an 81-yard touchdown drive, highlighted by a 45-yard deep ball from Mac Jones to Nelson Agholor. 

Ty Montgomery ran into the end zone from the 2-yard line for the touchdown, giving the Patriots a 7-3 lead early in the second quarter.

A Nick Folk field goal before halftime made it a 10-3 Patriots lead. That kick came after Joshuah Bledsoe forced a fumble, which was recovered by Myles Bryant deep in Carolina territory. That play was initially ruled as an incomplete pass, but Bill Belichick challenged the call and won, giving the Patriots possession at the Carolina 26-yard line.

Fourth-year kicker Tristan Vizcaino got a shot at the Patriots’ second field goal attempt, but he missed well wide on the long 53-yard attempt to start the second half.

The Panthers tied the game at 10-10 with a pick-six off rookie quarterback Bailey Zappe. Zappe’s pass for Tre Nixon was intercepted by Panthers cornerback Tae Hayes, and he returned it 50 yards for a touchdown.

But the Patriots regained the lead on the next drive, with Vizcaino atoning for his miss with a successful 51-yard field goal to put the Patriots up 13-10 early in the fourth quarter.

The Panthers got the ball at their own 10-yard line with 1:41 left in the game, but P.J. Walker took two straight sacks, the second of which took place in the end zone. Walker fumbled on the second sack, and Sam Roberts recovered the loose ball for a defensive touchdown. The PAT by Vizcaino made it a 20-10 Patriots lead.

On the Panthers’ final drive, Walker was picked off by Brenden Schooler to seal the 20-10 win.

The Patriots will head to Las Vegas for joint practice sessions with the Raiders next week before their preseason finale on Friday night at 8:15 p.m. ET.