Jordan Matthews And Dell Pettus Shine On NFL Thursday Night Football

FOXBOROUGH, MASS.- The New England Patriots defeated the Carolina Panthers 17-3 in what was both team’s pre-season opener. In the game were two local players who played big roles in the game held on Thursday night.

Dell Pettus of New England and Jordan Matthews of Carolina, both with ties to local high schools, made huge impacts in the game which featured Matthews have three catches for 48 yards to lead the Panthers in receiving while Pettus had five tackles including two solo efforts from his safety position, which was third best on the Patriots defense.

Matthews, a 2010 graduate of Madison Academy where he was an All-State selection as a senior and later set SEC receiving records playing for Vanderbilt. The current season is his tenth in the NFL and he joined the Panthers in October of last season. He’s 32 years old and stands 6-foot-3 and weighs 212 pounds. He started his career as a wide receiver, but has since changed to the tight end position.

Pettus is an undrafted rookie out of Troy University where he played his college football after graduating from Sparkman High in 2019. The 23-year old is 5-foot-11 and weighs in at 200 pounds.

During the Thursday NFL game, Matthews and Pettus actually knocked helmets together as Pettus made tackles on Mathews on two consecutive plays in the second quarter. The first pass play went for 10 yards before Pettus stepped in and stopped Matthews while on the very next play Pettus ran down Matthews on a 28-yard catch and run by the former Mustang.

Both are expected to remain with their respective team through the pre-season action as all NFL teams have to make roster cuts prior to the start of the regular season. Both players are hoping to remain on their respective team rosters at that time.