WATCH: Patriots QB Zappe Leaves Deep Attempt Horribly Short

New England Patriots football is back! The 2024 NFL season is officially here as the Patriots first preseason game against the Carolina Panthers is underway.

Jacoby Brissett and Drake Maye played just one drive each, leaving the ball to be put into the hands of Bailey Zappe once the third drive came along. Early in the second quarter, Zappe was struggling and capped off his second drive with a deep ball attempt on third down that came up miserably short:

The throw brought Zappe to 4 of 9 on the night for just 21 yards. At the time of the incompletion, he had a passer rating barely above 50.

This is the first preseason game for the New England Patriots against the Carolina Panthers on Thursday. The team will play two more before they must cut the roster to 53 players in preparation for Week 1 of the NFL Regular season. The Patriots will open the year on the road at Paycor Stadium against the Cincinnati Bengals on September 8th at 1 PM EST.

You can find a list of the rest of the rookies drafted this season on the Patriots roster here .

The game will also be the first under the new head coaching regime led by former player Jerod Mayo. He takes over with huge shoes to fill after New England moved on from future Hall of Fame coach Bill Belichick after 24 seasons.

Be sure to stay up to date with Patriots Country to catch more highlights and analysis from Thursday’s Preseason opener.