If you had reservations about the New England Patriots' offense entering Friday's preseason game against the Carolina Panthers, the first 10 minutes of game action didn't make you feel any better.
Playing against Carolina's backups, the Patriots' first-string offense gained a total of three yards on their first two drives. Quarterback Mac Jones went 0-for-3 and took a sack in that span while failing to pick up a first down.
The offense's fortunes changed on its third drive, however, when Jones marched the unit 81 yards in 10 plays that included a 45-yard bomb to Nelson Agholor and a Ty Montgomery touchdown run.
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Highlights, takeaways from Patriots' preseason win over Panthers
While it's hard to put much stock in 10 preseason plays against second-stringers, Patriots Insider Phil Perry believes that drive was crucial for the development of New England's offense.
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"I think it was massively important," Perry told Tom E. Curran on a new episode of the Patriots Talk Podcast after the Patriots' 20-10 win over the Panthers at Gillette Stadium.
As Perry pointed out, the Patriots' offense struggled to gain traction throughout training camp, and the first two drives Friday were further signs that the group wasn't in a good place.
"Just imagine how you feel," Perry said. "... We would say what we would say, which is, 'Trouble on the horizon. They couldn't really string together consecutive periods even on their best day of practice offensively on Tuesday against the Panthers. It wasn't like they lit the world on fire -- it was just that they had shown some signs of competence.
"Then Wednesday was a little worse, and then come out in a preseason game against backups mostly for Carolina and they can't get a first down? Boy, problems.'"
That third drive was a major confidence-booster, however, with two plays in particular standing out to Perry as signs of progress.
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"The fact that they were able to put it together on that third drive I thought was huge," Perry said. "A key third down pickup to Nelson Agholor -- recognizing a blitz, hot route, good for the both of them that that worked -- and then a really well-placed deep ball. I don't think he could have handed it to Agholor any better down the sidelines for 45 yards, which sets up the touchdown.
"I think those two plays in and of themselves really shifted how you feel about your week and your summer so far if you're on that Patriots offense right now."
New England has plenty more work to do on offense with Matt Patricia, Joe Judge and even Bill Belichick playing key roles in installing a new system. But at least the team can say things are moving in the right direction thanks to Jones' final drive Friday night.
Perry and Curran also discussed the most definitive sign yet that Patricia will be calling the shots on offense. Subscribe to the Patriots Talk Podcast or watch the full episode on YouTube below.