FOXBOROUGH – The Patriots got their first win of the season, sort of.

New England defeated the Carolina Panthers, 20-10, on Friday night, playing its starters for much of the first half.

“It's just another step in the process,” Patriots coach Bill Belichick said following the win. “We've just got to keep grinding.”

Here are 10 observations from the Patriots' win.

Nelson Agholor finished his strong week with a standout night

Agholor shined in two of the Patriots' three practices this week. That carried into Friday.

Now in his second year with the Patriots, Agholor made a pair of catches over the first three drives of the game. His first was on a slant route from Mac Jones.

The other catch was arguably the best play the Patriots have had since the start of training camp. Jones hit Agholor deep along the left sideline, connecting for a 45-yard reception against the Panthers' high-man coverage.

Agholor's night was done after that catch led to what would be a Patriots touchdown drive, capping off a strong week for him. He was targeted heavily in Monday's padless practice. On Wednesday, Agholor caught all four targets from Jones, which included two contested catches in the back corners of the end zone. Also of note, Agholor was the only Patriots receiver to exclusively play with Jones on Friday.

Mac Jones shows what he can do with a clean pocket

The Patriots second-year quarterback didn't start off the night too well. Jones' first two drives were three-and-outs, throwing three incompletions and getting sacked once. Jones also dealt with some pressure on the three throws, causing him to miss receivers.

The pocket opened up for Jones a bit on his third and final drive of the night. He completed 4-of-5 passes on the drive for 61 yards, with the big play being the aforementioned pass to Agholor. While Jones dropped back, the pocket opened up and allowed him to step up and put all the power he needed on the deep throw.

When asked about working through the Patriots' offensive woes so far in camp on Wednesday, Jones mentioned having a clean pocket as a pivotal component for him.

“I think we’ve done some good things, made some adjustments, and stuff and moving in the right direction,” Jones said Wednesday. “That’s all you can ask for is just for me to be able to step up in the pocket and make the throws. That’s all it is for me, or hand the ball off to the right guy, or hit the check down hit the deep ball, it doesn’t matter. I think we have guys that can make plays all over the field.”

Not only was he able to complete passes with a clean pocket, Jones also had a seven-yard run in the red zone when no receiver got open.

The offensive play-calling situation appears to be settled

Last week, offensive line coach Matt Patricia appeared to be calling plays when Brian Hoyer played in the first quarter before quarterbacks coach Joe Judge took over for the remainder of the game with Bailey Zappe in.

Patricia appeared to call plays with Jones in at quarterback for the first three drives. He appeared to be calling plays when Hoyer entered the game for a drive in the second quarter. Finally, Patricia appeared to be calling plays for the rest of the night with Zappe in.

So yeah, it appears Patricia is the offensive play caller
for now. As we all know, Bill Belichick-coached teams are unpredictable and things can change when the Patriots reach Las Vegas for joint practices next week.

Ja'Whaun Bentley and Mack Wilson lead the way at linebacker

One of the perceived weaknesses for the Patriots entering camp looks to be a bit more intriguing by the day.

Bentley, who was the team's leading tackler last season, was active in his three drives on Friday. The interior linebacker had six tackles, five solo, with one of them being a tackle for loss.

Wilson might not have been as strong from an individual standpoint in the box score (five total tackles, two solo), but he was all over the field Friday. The Patriots worked Wilson on the inside and outside. On a Kyle Dugger stuff, Wilson was also in the backfield about to make the play had the safety not been there. He also read a Matt Corral pass perfectly for a pass break-up.

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The non-Jalen Mills outside corners were up-and-down

Malcom Butler's placement on the injured reserve this week likely indicated that Terrance Mitchell, Jonathan Jones, and Jack Jones will likely be the Patriots' outside corners when the 53-man roster is set.

They each had bright spots and down spots. Jonathan Jones allowed a key third down completion in his limited time on Friday, but had a pass-break up on a deep pass. Mitchell was flagged for a pass interference on what would've been a tough catch for the Panthers receiver he guarded, but also kept a Panthers receiver in front of him on a third down play. Jack Jones tracked a ball as well as possible in the fourth quarter, but the rookie let the ball slip through his hands, watching the ball drop for an incompletion.

Shaun Wade makes a nice play, and almost a bad one

The second-year corner, who's had solid practices recently, perfectly jumped a P.J. Walker pass for an interception in the third quarter. He nearly negated that though when he ran into Marcus Jones on a punt. Luckily, the ball went out of bounds before the Panthers could recover it.

Other observations

  • Marcus Jones didn't play in the preseason opener, leading us to believe he likely had a starting role. He played backup to Myles Bryant at slot corner and as a punt returner. Jones let up a completion in the 4th but also had a decent punt return.
  • The backup running backs had a nice night. Fourth-round rookie Pierre Strong rushed for a few decent gains on outside runs, finishing with 23 rushing yards on the night. J.J. Taylor had 33 rushing yards on six carries, finding similar success on outside carries.
  • Bailey Zappe's arm was erratic, finishing with 173 yards on 25 passes with a pick, while missing some deep throws. He made some plays with his feet though, allowing him to complete throws on the run and gaining ground yards.
  • Lil'Jordan Humphrey might be the hero of the preseason. After getting a touchdown reception last week, he had five receptions for 71 yards on Friday. Not only that, he also saved a Patriots punt from going into the end zone.