The Patriots won the third preseason game of the year on Friday night, beating the Panthers in what's considered the final "dress rehearsal" for the regular season, 17-16.
The final score, however, is secondary when looking for takeaways at the time of year. Here are a few snap judgments from what we saw tonight.
* Tom Brady played seven series -- all in the first half -- which was two more than he saw in the first two preseason games combined. Through the first six Patriots possessions, Brady and his offense gained just 45 yards, including 18 yards on scrambles by Brady.
Brady was intercepted twice on the night: once on a pass deep to Aaron Dobson, who had the ball wrestled away from him by Charles Tillman, and once on another pass to Dobson where Panthers defensive back Kurt Coleman undercut the route for the pick.
Brady's final drive was by far his best. He completed five passes for 71 yards and he capped the series with a perfectly-lofted 18-yard touchdown pass to tight end Scott Chandler, who was playing in his first preseason game of the year. Brady finished the game having completed 7-of-13 passes for 84 yards.
* Jimmy Garoppolo started the second half and was nearly intercepted twice on his first drive. He appeared to maintain his confidence in the pocket, however, and later hit Dobson for a 40 yard gain. One play later he found running back Dion Lewis, lined up on the outside, for a nine-yard touchdown on a slant.
* Offensive tackle Sebastian Vollmer appeared to tweak something during the game. After one play, he took himself off the field and was tended to by trainers, though it was not clear what was being examined. Vollmer had offseason shoulder surgery and had slowly worked his way back to seeing regular reps on the offensive line during training camp.
New England Patriots
* Both Jerod Mayo and Dont'a Hightower saw their first game action of the summer. Mayo looked particularly strong in the first quarter when he made consecutive third and fourth-down stops -- the latter coming in tandem with Jamie Collins -- to turn over the Panthers on downs.
* Stephen Gostkowski connected on a booming 53-yard field goal despite an off-the-mark snap from rookie Joe Cardona.
* Running back Jonas Gray started the game, while LeGarrette Blount came on in the second half.
* Strong night of work from Dominique Easley and Chandler Jones. Easley picked up his first sack of the preseason, while Jones ended the first half with a sack of Cam Newton.
* Veteran corner Tarell Brown got the start at the slot corner, with Bradley Fletcher outside, opposite Malcolm Butler. Brown appeared to play well at first glance with a pair of pass-breakups. Logan Ryan also deflected a pass from Panthers backup Joe Webb