As the New England Patriots enter halftime of their third preseason game, leading the Carolina Panthers 7-6, here are a few takeaways from the first half of play.Offense Looks Lethargic To Start- The New England offense, once again, started off the game playing in reverse. For the third straight game, the starting offensive line struggled to get a push up front and thus allowed for no lanes for the running backs to get any real yardage. Starting quarterback Tom Brady didn't get much time to pass either, and when he did it was a combination of dropped passes and interceptions that haunted the Pats until their final drive of the half.

Final Drive Proves Effective- After struggling through their first several drives of the game, Brady rallied his troops and marched the team 80 yards down the field for their first and only score, so far. On the drive, Brady finally looked like the quarterback Pats fans have come to love as he picked apart the Carolina secondary completing five of six passes for 71 yards. He capped the drive off with a perfectly placed 18-yard pass to tight end Scott Chandler in the quarter of the end zone.

Brady ended the first half 7-13 for 84 yards with the one touchdown and two interceptions.

Defense Shines In Classic "Bend But Don't Break Style"- The New England defense spent most of the first half on the field and for the most part, they looked good out there. With the exception of two drives where Cam Newton and company were able to push the ball a bit, the Pats defense held tough allowing just two field goals and stuffing Carolina near the goal line twice. Second year lineman Dominique Easley looked strong in the first half coming up with a few tackles and a big time sack on third down. Cornerback Tarell Brown, who many thing could start opposite Malcolm Butler in the New England secondary, made two nice pass breakups including one in the end zone.

All in all, the defense looked strong for the amount of time they spent on the field but they need to get more help from this offensive unit.

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