The New England Patriots moved their record to 2-2 by beating the Carolina Panthers 42-13 Sunday in Foxborough, Mass.
Despite the lopsided final score, Carolina (1-3) had the edge in many major statistical categories. The Panthers had more first downs (21-16), more rushing yards (129-104), more total yards (326-307) and a sizable advantage in time of possession (35:14 to 24:46).
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So how was New England able to breeze to victory? Let’s take a deeper look at how things unfolded at Gillette Stadium:
Jones provided a good rate of return
Carolina led 6-0 when New England’s special teams changed the game’s momentum. Marcus Jones returned a punt 87 yards to help the Patriots take a 7-6 lead with 5:54 left in the opening quarter. It was a lead they wouldn’t relinquish.
It was the third-longest punt return for a TD in team history, behind Julian Edelman’s 94-yarder against Miami in 2011 and Mike Haynes’ 89-yarder against Buffalo in 1976.
Jones also had a 61-yard punt return that gave the New England offense the ball on Carolina’s 14-yard line in the second quarter. That set up Antonio Gibson’s 1-yard TD with 1:57 remaining in the first half. After Andres Borregales made the PAT the Patriots led 28-6 .
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Jones returned three punts for 167 yards in the win.
New England’s defense overcame slow start
Carolina quarterback Bryce Young was completed each of his six pass attempts for 71 yards and a touchdown on his team’s first drive. It was a familiar scene for Patriots fans, since opponents have scored on their opening drive in each of New England’s three home games this season.
Unlike home losses to Las Vegas (20-13) and Pittsburgh (21-14), however, the New England defense stiffened after allowing the game’s first TD. Young was 12-of-24 passing for 79 yards in the rest of the game, and the Panthers didn’t score again until backup QB Andy Dalton tossed a 2-yard TD pass to Mitchell Evans with 1:56 to play.
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New England received a game-high 10 tackles from linebacker Robert Spillane, and nine tackles from both Jack Gibbens and Christian Elliss.
Diggs had breakout performance
Wide receiver Stephon Diggs had the best game of his young Patriots career by catching six passes for 101 yards, including a 33-yard reception in the second quarter. It was the 37th time Diggs has had at least 100 yards receiving in an NFL game.
New England signed Diggs as an unrestricted free agent in March.
“He looked a little faster than I thought,” New England quarterback Drake Maye said. “He looked pretty fast. I think he’s just getting more and more comfortable. He’s a great player with the ball in his hands. He’s a great leader on this team. … I’m glad he’s a Patriot.”
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Maye was on target
It was an efficient game for Maye, who completed 14-of-17 passes for 203 yards and two touchdowns. He also ran the ball three times for 11 yards and a TD.
Maye has had a completion percentage of at least 75 percent and has thrown at least two TD passes in each of his last three games.
Also noteworthy is the fact that Maye didn’t not have a pass intercepted. New England turned the ball over five times during last week’s 21-14 loss to Pittsburgh. One of those turnovers was a Maye pass that was intercepted in the end zone.
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