OFFICIAL 2004 PRESEASON GAME 1 - PANTHERS @ PATRIOTS

I know y'all know a lot more than me.  So share some of the positives that the average football fan doesn't see..  ( Other than punting and long snapping ) ..  I'm sure there were some positives ...

" 7 first downs and 3 points ....  nice first drive,,  not a game total "

https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/5690715...-patriots/

Who helped themselves


RB Mike Boone
With the top three running backs sitting, someone had to carry the ball for the Panthers. That someone was Boone, the seventh-year veteran who was one of the few bright spots for the Carolina offense. Boone hit the holes hard, held on to the ball and picked up the Panthers’ initial first down with an 11-yard gain in the first half. The 29-year-old Boone also caught three of four targets for 13 yards.

TE Jordan Matthews
The Panthers tight end room has been hit hard by injuries, with Tommy Tremble and Ian Thomas sidelined and Stephen Sullivan waived with an injury settlement Thursday. Fourth-round pick Ja’Tavion Sanders had a good week of practice. But it was 32-year-old Matthews, the former Philadelphia Eagles wideout, who stood out against the Patriots with three catches for 48 yards.
Jordan Matthews last caught a pass in the regular season in 2019. He was the Panthers’ leading receiver in their first preseason game Thursday with three receptions for 48 yards. (Brian Fluharty / USA Today)

CB Lamar Jackson
The journeyman with the same name as the Baltimore Ravens quarterback and two-time MVP had a good showing in coverage to go with two tackles. Jackson, who has good length (6 feet 2 inches) and plays a physical style, might have gotten away with a pass interference on a deep ball early in the game. But by turning his head toward the ball, he likely influenced a good no-call by the official. The first three or four corner spots look set. But Jackson has a chance. “He made some great plays for us,” Canales said. “He had a couple of great tackles and nice hits out there, too. So he really showed something and showed us something about him.”


OLB Eku Leota
With injuries to D.J. Wonnum and Amaré Barno, the Panthers have been looking for someone to provide a spark at the edge spot opposite Jadeveon Clowney. Enter Leota, who played with energy and purpose against the Patriots. The former Auburn defender had a first-half hit on quarterback Bailey Zappe, who followed one-series stints by Jacoby Brissett and Drake Maye. Leota made the tackle on the second-half kickoff before dropping RB JaMycal Hasty for a 4-yard loss on the Patriots’ first possession. “I got to look at the film to see what the whole story was,” Canales said of Leota. “But the effort was there, the style of play was fantastic.”

DT T.J. Smith
Smith quietly has edged his way up the depth chart on the interior. The 6-foot-3, 300-pound Smith is competing for a backup spot with Nick Thurman, who played in all 17 games in 2023. Smith, who appeared in four games in three seasons in Minnesota, helped his cause by bulling his way into the backfield and sacking Zappe in the second quarter.