Ups & Downs: Patriots Put Up A Dud Vs. Panthers

By Matthew Geagan, CBS Boston

BOSTON (CBS) -- If Friday night was a regular season dress rehearsal for the Patriots, they need a lot more practice.

The Patriots put up a dud in preseason game No. 3, losing to the Carolina Panthers 25-14 at Bank of America Stadium. It was quite the contrast to what we saw out of the Patriots last week when the Philadelphia Eagles came to Gillette Stadium.

While they didn't allow many points, the New England defense took a big step back, unable to apply any kind of pressure on Carolina quarterbacks throughout the night. The New England offense also struggled to get their footing, and couldn't muster much of anything with most of their top-teamers on the field.

All of that should mean a tough two-plus weeks of practice leading up to the season opener against the Houston Texans on Sept. 9. But before we get too far ahead of ourselves, here's everything that went wrong -- and a few things that went right -- for the Patriots in Charlotte.

DOWNS

First Half Letdown

The first half was just a 30-minute dud for the Patriots.

The defense bent -- a lot -- on their first drive, but managed to hold Carolina to just three points following a 16-play march down the field. They didn't get a chance to catch their breath though, as the offense went three-and-out. The defense promptly gave up back-to-back 28-yard receptions before holding the Panthers to another field goal.

The Panthers picked up 203 yards in the first half, 142 of which were through the air. Christian McCaffrey torched the Pats for 48 rushing yards on 12 carries and another 16 yards on two receptions.

Bill Belichick has plenty of game tape to rip apart from this one, and a lot of it features his first-teamers.

No Pressure From Defense

After applauding the pass rush the last two weeks, the Patriots barely made Cam Newton, Taylor Heinecke, Garrett Gilbert or any other former Patriots practice squad QB sweat on Friday night. New England recorded no sacks and had just one QB hit on the night. It was a giant letdown after they had eight sacks last week.

Stephon Gilmore

The Patriots' No. 1 corner struggled early, giving up three receptions for 63 yards on five targets on Carolina's first two drives. Carolina has some talented (and tall) receivers, but it's no fun to see Gilmore struggle.

Jason McCourty Moves Around

The Patriots are really trying everything they can to get Jason McCourty on the team, moving the veteran corner to safety on Friday night. He was out there for the final drive of the first half, and let up a 16-yard catch to Panthers tight end Greg Olsen. He was also on the field for a 31-yard grab by Samuel, but made up for it on the next play by bringing running back Cameron Artis-Payne down on a 2nd-and-goal rush.

The Other McCourty remains an enigma this preseason, but his move to safety shows that the Patriots want to make it work.

Decker's First Half No-Show

Veteran receiver Eric Decker didn't see the field until the second half, when Tom Brady was on the bench. Riley McCarron was on the field before Decker was, an indication that the former practice squader is ahead of Decker on the depth chart.

When Decker was on the field, he wasn't all that impressive. He was flagged for a false start on his first drive, which turned a 3rd-and-7 into a 3rd-and-12. He was targeted deep on the next play, and though Decker beat his man downfield, Hoyer's pass was out-of-bounds. Hoyer another took a deep shot at Decker over the middle late in the game, but the receiver couldn't hang on for the catch.

He did make his first receptions in a Patriots uniform and finished with two receptions for 12 yards on five targets. Still, it's not looking good for the veteran to make the team.

A Scolding From Bill

The New England D made a nice stop on a two-point bid in the third quarter, with corner Keion Crossen stopping Mose Frazier short of the end zone.

Three Patriots were pretty jazzed up after the play: Crossen, fellow corner JC Jackson and defensive end Derek Rivers. Bill Belichick was not a fan of their celebration and reprimanded the trio pretty heavily on the sidelines.

Poggi's Fumble

He was a longshot to make the roster, but a third-quarter fumble by fullback Henry Poggi pretty much sealed his fate. Fullbacks aren't supposed to fumble!

Great name though, and no one can take that away from him.

UPS

Phillip Dorsett

After having 12 catches all of last season, Dorsett had four on Friday night, catching every pass that Tom Brady sent his way. Brady even went to Dorsett on a 4th-and-3, a great sign that the QB trusts the 25-year-old.

Edelman Is Still Edelman

Edelman is showing no signs of missing all of last season, and he remains Brady's safety blanket. No. 11 caught three of the five passes that went his way for 23 yards, and two of those snags came on third down. Brady went Edelman's way on a 3rd-and-8, and the receiver picked up nine yards to move the chains. He secured another fresh set of downs with a six-yard reception on a 3rd-and-4 pass from Brady.

It's just a shame Edelman can't do these things in a game that counts until October.

Brady Shares The Love

On the Patriots' second offensive possession, Brady hit five different players for a reception: Edelman, Dorsett, Chris Hogan, Cordarrelle Patterson and Brandon Bolden.

For the evening, Brady finished 12-of-18 for 102 yards.

Bend Don't Break D

The Panthers put together three solid drives in the first half, but settled for field goals on each of them thanks to some solid goal-line defense by the Patriots. We were back to the bend-don't-break defense that the New England D was so frustratingly good at years ago.

Eric Rowe

The corner had a nice pass break-up on Carolina's second drive, batting a Cam Newton pass away from Curtis Samuel in the end zone.

Play-Calling Duties For Ja'Whaun Bentley

The rookie linebacker didn't start, but he had the green dot on his helmet and was calling plays for the defense when he entered in the second half. Quite the honor -- and responsibility -- for a kid in his third NFL (preseason) game. He also finished with four tackles, which was a game-high for the Patriots.

Hill Appears To Be OK

Veteran running back Jeremy Hill suffered an ankle injury with 2:57 left in the game, but it seems like he avoided anything serious. He was jogging on the sideline after he left and was standing as the game came to an end.

Losing Hill would be another hit to what was once a deep stable of running backs for the Patriots. If the injury costs him time, it would greatly improve Mike Gillislee's chances of making the team. Gillislee ran for a two-yard score and a two-point conversion the play after Hill went out.