The New England Patriots got a strong effort from fill-in quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo in last week's preseason win, and they'll kick off the NFL's Week 3 exhibition slate on Friday night at EVEN money on the betting lines at Sportsbook against the Carolina Panthers.
Garoppolo got most of the snaps for the Patriots in their 26-24 win at New Orleans last week, completing 28 of his 33 pass attempts for 269 yards with one touchdown and one interception in the contest - good for a QB Rating of 98.1. Tom Brady completed two of five pass attempts for 13 yards.
Brady, of course, is still in line for a four-game suspension to start the season thanks to Deflategate, which would leave Garoppolo at the controls for the first month of the campaign. The Pats signed wide receiver Reggie Wayne to a one-year contract this week.
There are three games in total on the NFL preseason schedule for Friday, with the Jacksonville Jaguars 1-point home favorites against the Detroit Lions, and the Kansas City Chiefs 4.5-point home favorites against the Tennessee Titans.
The bulk of the Week 3 preseason action then takes place on Saturday, including a pick'em contest at Sportsbook between the Philadelphia Eagles and the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field. The Packers lost a key weapon on offense last week when wide receiver Jordy Nelson suffered a torn ACL; he's out for the season.
Sunday then has Arizona at Oakland (pick'em) and Houston at New Orleans (-3), with the Texans announcing that Brian Hoyer would begin the season as their starting quarterback. Houston running back Arian Foster still has no timetable for his return from a groin injury.