Instant observations following Patriots' Week 3 preseason win vs. Panthers

Here are some instant observations following the New England Patriots' 10-3 Week 3 preseason win over the Carolina Panthers.

Injuries peppered the Patriots roster in the dress rehearsal

Unfortunately for New England, it was hard to evaluate some of their players during Thursday night's game because of injuries. Kyle Van Noy, Brandon King, Ben Watson, Nate Ebner, Damien Harris and Gunner Olszewski all suffered injuries against the Panthers, with Watson, King and Harris not returning to the sideline in the second half of the game. Updates following the game will let us know the severity of these injuries, but it's likely that at least a couple of those players will miss a bit of time before the regular season begins, with the chance of their recovery extending past that.

Chase Winovich started game with first-team defense

A good sign of the progress that rookie 3rd round pick Chase Winovich has made this preseason is that he was on the field for the first defensive snap of the game for New England and played OLB on a 3-4 defense vs. the Panthers. Though he was blanked from the stat sheet, his appearance right away with the first team shows how the coaching staff feels about the former Wolverine with two weeks to go before the regular season begins.

Jakobi Meyers struggled with first-team offense

Undrafted free agent receiver Jakobi Meyers struggled with his first team reps Thursday night vs. Carolina. Meyers had a holding call on him that negated a 30-yard run by Sony Michel, a drop and a miscommunication on a long ball from Brady that led to an incompletion. Though his stat line shows a successful night (seven catches for 74 yards) his inability to get separation against the Panthers starters highlighted how much work Meyers still needs put in before he can produce at a starter level in the NFL.

Sony Michel looked spry in preseason debut

Second-year back Sony Michel made his preseason debut vs. Carolina and had a great outing. Michel ran the ball 10 times for 36 yards. That may not seem like a great outing, but he had a 30-yard run negated by a holding penalty and he looked slippery in between the tackles with the first team. He saw a majority of the reps with the starters on the field, which shows that Michel hasn't lost a step despite lingering knee issues this offseason.

If Gunner Olszewski makes 53-man roster, it will be as a punt returner

Former Divison II standout, Gunner Olszewski was one of the players in the wideout grouping that was on the outside looking in in terms of making the Patriots' regular season roster ahead of Thursday night's game. That might not be the case anymore thanks to his special teams contributions.

Olszewski returned four punts for 63 yards vs. the Panthers, showing tremendous vision as the deep man and showing an ability to be elusive and slip through tackles as the returner. New England would ideally like to remove Julian Edelman from punt return duties in 2019 because of workload management and his age, and since Braxton Berrios didn't suit up for the 3rd preseason game, it looks like Olszewski may be able to take that job based on his performance against Carolina.

Olszewski is still a long shot to make the team, but if he does, it will be because of his exceptional work as a punt returner.

First-team defense looked tremendous vs. Cam Newton, Panthers' starters

New England's first-team defense looked stout against Cam Newtown and Carolina's offense. The unit held Newton to 30 total yards on four completed passes, sacking him twice and forcing him to exit the game because of a foot injury sustained in the second quarter.

It was a small sample size, but the Patriots' combination of a strong secondary and consistent pass rush thanks to a strong draft class and developed talent seems to be paying dividends in 2019. The regular season hasn't started yet, but when it does, get ready to see New England as one of the better defenses in the NFL.

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