Joe Milton III’s outing created a buzz with Patriots while there wasn’t enough to see from Drake Maye to make a rational assessment

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — In an NFL preseason thirsty for rookie quarterback assessments, Thursday night began for the New England Patriots as the heavily anticipated debut of No. 3 overall draft pick Drake Maye. By the time it ended, it had transformed into the Joe Milton III Social Media/Talk Radio Bowl.

That’s the best description of what unfolded for the Patriots, who beat the Carolina Panthers’ 17-3 in a game that meant nothing unless you were measuring the ongoing hype race between the Patriots’ rookie quarterbacks.

If you went into Thursday night measuring that pair, it wasn’t much of a contest, largely due to oddly divided reps between that duo. It featured Maye entering in wet conditions as the second quarterback into the game behind starter Jacoby Brissett, then throwing three passes in one series of play. After that, Maye gave way to Bailey Zappe, who was eventually replaced by Milton with 4:12 left in the third quarter. The rookie sixth-round pick ultimately closed the game for New England with a versatile flourish, flooding social media with highlights.

Viewed through the deception prism of the first game of any preseason, when things are typically never as good or bad as they appear, the disparity is rational. Maye’s opportunities were limited to only one series against a mix of the Panthers’ first- and second-string defense. Conversely, Milton sustained two scoring drives mostly against Panthers who will be filling out the depth chart or struggling to make the team. For both players, it wasn’t much of a realistic measuring stick. But for at least one of the two — Milton — there was no denying that he electrified the offense and made the most of what he had to work with, completing 4-of-6 passes for 54 yards and a touchdown. Milton also had a pair of impressive runs, including a 13-yard scramble for a first down that saw him extend a play for more than 15 seconds as he reversed field and weaved through the defense.

Overall, it was impressive enough to earn some praise from head coach Jerod Mayo, who pointed straight to Milton when asked if anyone performed above his expectations.

“I need to go back and watch the film, [but] the easy answer would be Joe,” Mayo said. “Joe went out there and — I don’t think we’ve ever seen a quarterback here run around as much as he did and still was able to get the ball down the field. He’s one of those guys. It was good.”

“The coaches, the team itself, have put a lot of work in to get us where we need to be, especially at the quarterback position,” Milton said. “The [offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt] and [quarterbacks coach] T.C. McCarthy and [offensive assistant] Ben McAdoo, they put a lot of stress on just getting the details right, your eyes will match your feet and just being able to just go where your feet tell you to go. And if it’s not there, being able to move on.”

In a way, the game showcased a dynamic about Patriots training camp that has existed for weeks surrounding their two quarterbacks. A great deal was expected of Maye coming in, only to see him arrive somewhat behind schedule in his development than was expected. And as typically happens in a quarterback-thirsty camp, that has been compared with Milton, who was viewed as the cannon-armed developmental project but who has impressed under far less expectations. The result has been a strong drumbeat of external attention, with both media hype and fan excitement growing over Milton and debating how he’s measuring up with Maye. After Thursday, that will undoubtedly be in overdrive in the Patriots’ media market, with social media already turning into a hornet’s nest of arguments over the two players.

Yet, the perception of neither player is legitimate when it comes to forecasting where each is heading. Maye has gotten more quality snaps than Milton in camp, and there should be some suspicion that his lone series in the first preseason game was an act of preservation by a staff seeking to keep him healthy in a meaningless game. The flip side of that is Milton’s abundant reps to close the game could be inferred as a byproduct of the coaching staff trying to get a developing player as much mop-up time as possible.

But there is a dividing line of perception when it comes to play, and there’s no denying that Milton looked calm and composed in his snaps. His exceptional arm strength was evident, particularly on a 38-yard touchdown pass to wideout JaQuae Jackson, who got his defender to bite on an out-and-up route for a wide-open touchdown. Milton was also patient enough on the play to read through both of his outside routes, first to his right and then throwing to his left, showing the kind of patience and processing that will earn him points from the staff.

Maye’s lone series was nothing exceptional, taking place in misting and wet weather, featuring a pair of short passes on a drive that was put into an early hole by a false start.

“I thought guys did a great job, brought energy — that was the biggest thing through the rain, through the weather in the first half,” Maye said. “… This is what the preseason [is] for, just getting guys making plays. It’s just fun to join your teammates. For me, I kind of had an idea of how much I’d play tonight. [I just tried to] go in there and tried to take care of the football and execute.”

In terms of his opportunities, Maye said he doesn’t know what the plan is for the Patriots’ next game against the Philadelphia Eagles. But Mayo suggested two things Thursday: With the Patriots facing the Eagles in joint practices prior to next week’s game, he sees this as an important point in the preseason; and the division of opportunities for the quarterbacks will be fluid moving forward for the entire depth chart.

“Next week we have the Eagles, so we’ll do a lot more practice against them and who knows, the reps will probably change a little bit,” Mayo said. “Then we’ll see what happens in the game.”