Former Tennessee quarterback Joe Milton had all the buzz on social media Thursday night.
The New England Patriots sixth-round rookie quarterback made his NFL debut during the fourth quarter of the Pats’ preseason game against the Panthers. The Patriots started the game with Jacoby Brissett before switching to third-overall pick Drake Maye for the second offensive drive of the game. New England then moved to second-year quarterback Bailey Zappe to end the first quarter.
New England head coach and former Vol linebacker Jerod Mayo stuck with Zappe through the second and third quarters before switching to Milton for the entire fourth quarter.
Mayo said after the game that putting Milton in was a moment of “opportunity” to give the Patriots offense some sort of spark when they needed it most. While Mayo planned on giving Brissett and Maye one drive each, he didn’t have a plan for Zappe’s timeline. Putting Milton in simply came down to needing a spark.
Milton completed a five-yard pass on his first NFL snap before completing a four-yard pass on 3rd and 2 to extend the drive. Milton then used his legs to cross into Panthers territory for a jaw-dropping 12-yard pick-up later in the drive. Milton and the offense picked up 14 more yards before knocking through the field goal to record Milton’s first scoring drive of his career.
JOE MILTON!
The @patriots QB making things happen.
📺: #CARvsNE on @nflnetwork
📱: Stream on #NFLPlus pic.twitter.com/lXOxs1tAAz— NFL (@NFL) August 9, 2024
Milton then recorded his first NFL touchdown on his very next drive. On a 2nd and 8 from the Panthers’ 38-yard line, Milton found a wide-open receiver down the sideline and put the ball exactly where it needed to be. Patriots receiver JaQuae Jackson caught the ball and strolled into the endzone to put New England up 17-0 with nine minutes left in the game.
Joe Milton with the 🚀🎯 for the @patriots TD!
📺: #CARvsNE on @nflnetwork
📱: Stream on #NFLPlus pic.twitter.com/VtHbpnA0ri— NFL (@NFL) August 9, 2024
First TD feeling 🔥
📺: #CARvsNE on @nflnetwork
📱: Stream on #NFLPlus pic.twitter.com/vinfrxZmCV— NFL (@NFL) August 9, 2024
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Carolina’s next drive took more than seven minutes off the clock during their final offensive drive, leaving less than two minutes on the clock for Milton to close out the game. The former Vol took three knees to close out the 17-3 victory in his NFL debut.
Milton ended the game with 54 yards and one touchdown on 4-of-6 passing and 22 rushing yards on five attempts. While Zappe finished the game as the Patriots leading passer with 108 yards on 12-of-20 passing, there’s no doubt that Milton captured the buzz of the NFL world as he closed out the final 19 minutes of the game for New England.
“I don’t even listen to that stuff,” Mayo said when asked about his expectations for all the radio praise that will happen for Milton this week. “But honestly, Joe went out there. We know he has a big arm. He has the athleticism. He’s getting better with his reads every single day. He has natural leadership ability. But once again, it’s not just about one game; it’s about the full body of work. You can come out here and play well but you also have to do it on a day-to-day basis, in practice and you’ve got to gain the confidence of not only the coaches but also your teammates. And this was a step forward for him.”
Mayo later pointed to Milton as a player who exceeded his expectations during the Patriots’ first preseason game.
“Honestly, I need to go back and watch the film,” Mayo said about who exceeded his expectations. “The easy answer would be Joe [Milton III]. Joe went out there and I don’t think we’ve ever seen a quarterback here run around as much as he did and was still able to get the ball down the field. He’s one of those guys. It was Joe.”
Milton also earned the eye of his teammates in the quarterback room during the game. Patriots quarterback Jacoby Brissett mentioned being “very proud” after the rookie quarterback “played well” during his debut.
But while Milton appreciates the comments, he knows that there’s still more work to be done.
“Thanks to Coach Mayo for saying that, but I feel like I’ve got a lot of work to do, got to keep studying,” Milton said after the game. “Can’t get complacent no matter how good the game went tonight. Just being able to wipe it off and put it in the books and get ready for the next one.”
QB Joe Milton helped secure the W in his first @patriots action. pic.twitter.com/eXwKlZwElb
— NFL (@NFL) August 9, 2024
