NOTABLE NUGGETS

 

• Worried by the offense’s less-than-stellar outing? Rivera isn’t.

“Lower those passes. Catch the ball,” he said. “Catch the interceptions. Make the sacks. We are right where we need to be. We are in position to make plays. That’s the best thing about it. It’s not like we weren’t there. It wasn’t like we were getting our butts whipped.

“We had opportunities and we didn’t make the plays. That’s the disappointing part. If we weren’t in position to make plays I would be upset. But I’m not. I’m just disappointed.”

 

• But don’t tell WR Ted Ginn Jr. it’s just the preseason.

“Whenever you step out there in the white lines, it’s for real. Guys will come out and take your head off,” said Ginn, who had two receptions and at least as many drops. “So you want to go out there and you want to catch every ball, you want to make every play that you can make. When you don’t, you kind of go into, ‘OK, it’s just preseason,’ but that’s a cliché.

“You want to go out there and make every catch and make every throw. That’s why you play this game. That’s why you’re called a pro.”

 

• Panthers who dressed by didn’t play: TE Eric Wallace, OT David Foucault, OT Willie Smith, G Jordan Rigsbee, DE Larry Webster.

 

• Just before the half, CB Bené Benwikere  found himself in single coverage against WR Chris Hogan. Benwikere didn’t do a poor job, it’s just that QB Tom Brady threw a perfect pass for a 33-yard touchdown.

“Carolina doesn’t play a lot of single coverage, single-high coverage,” Patriots coach Bill Belichick said. “So when you get those opportunities, we talk about trying to go up on them. We did a couple times, and that’s one we hit.”

 

• Brady relieved Jimmy Garoppolo for four series starting late in the first quarter. It was Brady’s first relief appearance at QB since he came in for an injured Drew Bledsoe on Sept. 23, 2001. The rest, as they say, is history.