These are the results of their first-quarter drives: field goal, touchdown, touchdown.

These are the results of Miami’s first-quarter drives: three plays and a punt, three plays and a punt.

Now, it makes no more sense to overreact to a superior exhibition-game performance than it does to overreact to an inferior performance.

But sometimes sense is overrated.

Friday was fun. It was one of those football nights for which we wait. It was if traffic outside Bank of America Stadium moved freely, even on Stonewall Street, lines at the concession stands were short and the AC/DC blasted across the sound system deep and meaningful.

The Panthers were mediocre last week in their exhibition-opening loss at home to Houston. They came out uninspired and, for the most part, stayed there.

Friday, in their 23-17 victory, they atoned. On Carolina’s first play from scrimmage DeAngelo Williams moved left and farther left and found room and picked up 14 yards.

Then it was Jonathan Stewart running for four yards and Cam Newton finding tight end Greg Olsen on the right side for 27.

A pattern emerged on the first drive that the Panthers would replicate on the next two. They played as if Cam Newton was leading a fast break and every teammate was in step all the way down the field.

Carolina finished the quarter with two plays longer than 25 yards and six of 14 or more.

The Dolphins, meanwhile, had one play of more than 10 yards, and that was a 12-yard pass, for their first first-down, on the last play of the quarter. They picked up eight yards on their first drive and seven on their second.

Miami’s offense obviously is less than ferocious. The Dolphins scored seven points in their exhibition opener against Tampa Bay last week with a veteran quarterback. Friday they started a rookie, Ryan Tannehill.

Still, you take what the defense gives you, and Carolina’s starting defense didn’t give the Dolphins anything. The defensive line was impressive. The defense was impressive. The last time you said that was when?

As the game wound down, the Dolphins threatened to win. They had rallied from the first-quarter 17-0 deficit and here they were, on the cusp of the goal line, down by six, with a chance to win.

And then Carolina cornerback R.J. Stanford neatly picked off a pass in the right corner of the end zone, and Newton and a throng of Panthers charged down the field to join him. Fans are optimistic and excited, and on Friday we saw why.