The Carolina Panthers defeated the New England Patriots 25-14 tonight in front of the home fans at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, NC to improve their 2018 preseason record to 3-0. There were a lot of good things to take away from tonight’s win, especially from both the first-team offense and defense. The Panthers took a 9-3 lead into halftime, and never looked back once the backups entered the fray.
Cam Newton looked like his usual self, making plays left and right, and scaring the ever-loving crap out of everyone when he dove to gain a few more yards and came crashing down onto his head, an effort that sent him into the concussion tent. Fortunately, he was back out and on the field nearly immediately afterwards with no signs of further injury.
Despite our initial fears that the patchwork offensive line would get Newton killed tonight, they surprised us by holding up very well. Newton had time in the pocket, and the running game was also able to move the football with relative ease.
All in all, it was a solid team effort and a good win, even if the game doesn’t really count in the standings. Ron Rivera should be proud of the way the Panthers looked tonight and can now focus his attention on the fringe roster guys who will play in the preseason finale next Thursday in Pittsburgh.
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Cam Newton: He looked great tonight, despite an injury scare in the first half.
Offensive line: Shocked everyone by not being a disaster. They faced adversity well and have plenty to be proud of tonight.
Cameron Artis-Payne: CAP played very well tonight and possibly cemented a spot on the roster with his effort. He showed us exactly what we needed to see from him.
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Torrey Smith: Simply put, he didn’t play well enough to justify keeping him when there are plenty of other options on the roster and he can be cut for a $5 million cap savings.
Captain Munnerlyn: He played like a private tonight. He’ll probably make the roster because to make cutting him worth it they’d have to spread the dead money over two years, but based on his effort tonight he shouldn’t get much playing time if he does make the roster.
D.J. Moore: He didn’t show up tonight, but it’s not time to panic just yet. He’s still a rookie, after all.
Live updates
Fourth quarter
TOUCHDOWN PATRIOTS: Mike Gillislee scampers into the end zone to bring the Patriots even closer to the Panthers. The two-point conversion is good. Panthers 25 - Patriots 14
The fourth quarter defense is sub-par.
A sign of things to come for the Panthers?
Already assured of going at least .500 for the seventh consecutive preseason, the Panthers are about to improve to 48-48 in their preseason history. They've been at least .500 in the preseason in all eight of their playoff seasons.
— Bryan Strickland (@PanthersBryan) August 25, 2018
FIELD GOAL PATRIOTS: Gostkowski drills a 52-yard field goal to pull the Patriots a bit closer. Panthers 25 - Patriots 6
TOUCHDOWN PANTHERS: Garrett Gilbert finds Mose Frazier in the end zone for a six-yard touchdown. Panthers 25 - Patriots 3
END OF THIRD QUARTER: Panthers 18 - Patriots 3
Third quarter
FUMBLE: Colin Jones forces a fumble and the Panthers recover!
FIELD GOAL PANTHERS: Graham Gano buries it to extend the Panthers’ lead. Panthers 18 - Patriots 3
Heinicke has to come out after suffering an . . . ahem . . . lower body injury. He’s back after one play, though.
Here’s a look at that Taylor Heinicke touchdown scramble:
Heinicke to the pylon!#KeepPounding pic.twitter.com/qRDdtzTMFe
— Carolina Panthers (@Panthers) August 25, 2018
Damiere Byrd with an excellent 31-yard punt return to give the Panthers some quality field position.
Bryan Cox Jr. is having a nice game tonight.
TOUCHDOWN PANTHERS: Taylor Heinicke shows off his wheels and scores on the quarterback scramble. They go for two but fail to convert. Panthers 15 - Patriots 3
Fourth and goal at the 1. Panthers going for it.
Taylor Heinicke just threw a BEAUTIFUL ball to Curtis Samuel, who snagged it out of the air with his hands for a huge gain to set up first and goal.
Cam has played well this preseason.
If Newton doesn't play again until Dallas, his preseason line will be:
— Will Bryan (@Pantherstatsguy) August 25, 2018
26-38 (68.4 pct), 315 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT. 91.4 passer rating.
We’ve seen the last of Cam Newton tonight.
Per @KevinDonnalley, Cam Newton’s night is done. Taylor Heinicke will start the third quarter.
— Bill Voth (@PanthersBill) August 25, 2018
The Patriots receive the ball to start the second half.
HALFTIME: Panthers 9 - Patriots 3
FIELD GOAL PANTHERS: Gano banks the 25-yard field goal to extend the Panthers’ lead. Panthers 9 - Patriots 3
After a big gain from Olsen, the Panthers do a good job to get to the line to stop the clock with 0:01 left for a Graham Gano field goal attempt.
Cam then finds Christian McCaffrey to pick up another first down.
Panthers are running the two-minute drill. Cam makes some nice moves and finds an open Jarius Wright on 3rd and 5 to pick up a first down.
FIELD GOAL ATTEMPT: Gostkowski’s kick sails wide and the kick is no good. Panthers 6 - Patriots 3
Mike Adams does a good job forcing an incompletion and a field goal attempt by the Patriots.
A summary of how things are going:
Belichick goes for it on 4th-and-3 from Carolina 39. Bradberry inexplicably plays 10 yards off the ball -- as it was more like 4th-and-13 -- allowing an easy 6-yard completion for the first.
— Scott Fowler (@scott_fowler) August 25, 2018
The offensive line is playing . . . surprisingly well so far tonight.
BREAKING: Luke Kuechly is good at football.
Luke Kuechly’s goal line stand pic.twitter.com/CRJKbNW8iv
— Bill Voth (@PanthersBill) August 25, 2018
FIELD GOAL PATRIOTS: The Panthers defense tightens up and holds the Patriots to a field goal attempt. Panthers 6 - Patriots 3
Patriots get down to the five, but a 15-yard penalty sets them back.
Brady is taking advantage of it by carving the Panthers defense to shreds.
Captain Munnerlyn with a bad missed tackle to give Brady another set of downs. That’s a no-no.
END OF 1ST QUARTER: Panthers 6 - Patriots 0
1st quarter
Sequence brought to you by @mmelvinphoto pic.twitter.com/5kYR208KP1
— Bill Voth (@PanthersBill) August 25, 2018
FIELD GOAL PANTHERS: Graham Gano nails a 38-yard field goal to extend the Panthers’ lead. Panthers 6 - Patriots 0
The offensive line is giving Cam time and it’s paying off. He hits a wide open Curtis Samuel for 28 yards and another first down.
Cam with an AMAZING sideline throw to Funchess who grabs it for a first down.
DONTE JACKSON Y’ALL! Amazing play to prevent a first down and force a three and out.
Mario Addison does some nice work to bat down Tom Brady’s pass to Gronkowski
FIELD GOAL PANTHERS: After taking 10 minutes off the clock and driving down to the five yard line, the Panthers settle for a field goal and prove that they are in mid-season form. Panthers 3 - Patriots 0
Here’s what this looked like pic.twitter.com/In4VNqUCGB
— Bill Voth (@PanthersBill) August 24, 2018
Injury update: RT Jeremiah Sirles (hamstring) will not return.
— Carolina Panthers (@Panthers) August 24, 2018
The news is less good for Jeremiah Sirles, who was carted off to the locker room.
ALL IS GOOD WITH CAM NOW WHEW THAT WAS CLOSE
Greg Olsen draws a pass interference penalty and the Panthers are in business.
AND NOW JEREMIAH SIRLES IS DOWN WHAT IS GOING ON
OH THIS IS JUST GREAT - CAM IS IN THE CONCUSSION TENT
Cam scrambles for a first down and then DIVES OVER THE PILE WHAT ARE YOU DOING CAM THIS IS A PRESEASON GAME. He fumbled the ball but Christian McCaffrey recovered it. Taylor Heinicke is warming up on the sideline. Please be ok, Cam. PLEASE.
A great throw from Newton to Funchess that gained 22 yards is taken away by a hands to the face penalty on Ryan Kalil.
Curtis Samuel returns the opening kickoff to the 20-yard line.
The Patriots win the coin toss and defer. The Panthers will receive the opening kickoff and start the game on offense.
The Panthers take on the Patriots in the third preseason game of 2018. Stay tuned to this space for live updates as the action unfolds!
Pregame
The Panthers are back for more exciting preseason action on Friday night, this time at the friendly confines of Bank of America Stadium where they will welcome the New England Patriots to town for a the one preseason game that actually means something.
Since the third preseason game is considered the ‘dress rehearsal’ for the regular season, we can expect most of the starters to play for the majority of the game, with the backups coming in late in the second half.
While this game ‘counts more’ than the other three preseason games due to the starters being on the field longer, keep in mind that the end result really doesn’t matter that much and the offense/defense will still be a huge serving of vanilla blandness—don’t freak out if the Panthers fail to score 35 points and put up 400 yards on offense. People will make fun of you if you do.
Here’s all the info you need to keep up with the action as it unfolds.
Game day information
What: Carolina Panthers vs New England Patriots
When: Friday, August 24 at 7:30 p.m. ET
Where: Bank of America Stadium (Charlotte, NC)
TV: Panthers TV; Mick Mixon, Mike Rucker | NFL Network (replay 8/25 at 1 pm ET)
Radio: 1110 AM WBT (local)
Weather: 84°/62° / Sunny / 7 mph ENE wind / 0% precip. (Complete forecast)
Miscellaneous information
Online Streaming
If you don't live in the Panthers television market, you can stream all NFL preseason and regular season games on demand if you purchase NFL Game Pass. It's a little pricey at $99, but it also includes access to All-22 film. If you're just desperate to watch the Panthers game there is a 7-day free trial, but sign up at your own risk if you're one of those people who forgets to cancel before the free trial is over.
*Note: You cannot watch regular season games live with this option. You have to wait until after the games are over before you can stream them. You can find more information here.
TV Replays
NFL Network will air condensed replays of every preseason game throughout the week. To see when the Panthers’ game will be replayed, you can check NFL Network’s preseason schedule for more information.
Roaring Riot Watch Parties
If you’re unable to watch the game via live tv or streaming, or if you prefer to watch in the company of fellow Panthers fans, check out the Roaring Riot to see if there is a watch party in your area. Membership is not required to get in the door, but if you’re interested in purchasing a membership you can find all the information you need here.
Uniforms
The Panthers will wear blue jerseys for this game.
Odds
If you're into that sort of thing, you can find info on NFL game odds by clicking here.
Stay tuned for a live update thread when the game kicks off at 7:30 p.m. ET tomorrow night!
Panthers 2018 preseason schedule
Week 1: at Buffalo Bills; Thu, Aug 9, 7 p.m. ET
Week 2: vs Miami Dolphins; Fri, Aug 17, 7:30 p.m. ET
Week 3: vs New England Patriots; Fri, Aug 24, 7:30 p.m. ET
Week 4: at Pittsburgh Steelers; Thu, Aug 30, 7:30 p.m. ET