Joe Milton Played Like A League MVP For The New England Patriots

The NFL pre-season can seem pointless at times. There's a reason the league is considering cutting it to just two games, or possibly getting rid of them altogether. They serve as glorified practices, televised for the masses. That doesn't mean they aren't fun.

Preseason games typically give fans a chance to see late-round picks in action who won't play a single snap during the regular season. Starters play a series, or two at the most, and some high-priced players or top draft picks won't play at all (due to fear of senseless injury).

Last night, Patriots fans got a taste of something they have been craving for a few seasons now. Hope. This hope wasn't brought to them by stop-gap quarterback Jacoby Brissett or third-overall pick Drake Maye. It came in the form of a bazooka.

All week, reports of Joe Milton outshining Maye in every single practice drill flooded the interweb, and to some extent, fulfilled a Stadium Rant prophecy. Against the Carolina Panthers, these reports became a reality. The team's sixth-round pick shone bright like a diamond on television for all Patriots fans to see.

Milton played limited snaps but electrified on each of them. He finished the game 4-6 passing, tallied 54 yards, and a touchdown. He also showed off his incredible mobility, gaining 22 rushing yards on only five carries. To understand these numbers better, they need to be divided and multiplied.

Bazooka Joe (a nickname he hates, but fans love) ran just 18 plays (three of those were kneel downs). This means he averaged .22 completions and .33 passing attempts per play for 3 yards and .056 touchdowns. The Patriots ran a total of 64 plays on offense, which means if Milton had played the entire game, his stat line projects as 14-21 passing for 192 yards and 3.6 touchdowns. He would have carried the ball 18 times for 78 yards.

Last season, the Patriots ran 1020 plays on offense. Based on his preseason averages, if Milton played them all, he would have finished the season 224-337 for 3,060 yards and 57 touchdowns. He would have added 283 carries for 1,246 yards. These numbers are almost identical to Lamar Jackson's 2019 season.

Jackson went 265-401 that year for 3,127 yards and 36 touchdowns. He added 176 carries for 1,206 yards rushing. That season he was first-team All-Pro and the league's unanimous MVP. This doesn't mean that Milton is going to duplicate those results, or even mean he will be the better draft pick between Maye and himself.

This projection is just that, and it is just for fun. Some will love it, some will hate it, but it's safe to say that most will be tuning in next week to see what Milton does against the Eagles.