The Patriots gave away a winnable game a week ago, committing five turnovers en route to a 21-14 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers. The Patriots will be at home, but Gillette Stadium hasn’t been kind to New England this season where the team is 0-2.
Carolina won its first game of the season last week, a divisional 30-0 whitewashing of the Atlanta Falcons. While the boxscore didn’t show a dominating performance, the Panthers hit on all the right notes to embarrass a Falcons team that has high hopes this season.
FOX will broadcast this week’s game and can be seen locally on WFXT-TV Channel 25. Chris Myers will handle play-by-play duties with Mark Schlereth as the color analyst. Jennifer Hale will work from the sidelines. The game will also be aired on the Patriots’ flagship radio station, 98.5 The Sports Hub, with Bob Socci and Scott Zolak on the call, produced by Marc Capello.
We at PatsFans.com are continuing our “Razor’s Edge” column in 2025 to analyze some of the game’s key matchups and what to expect in the game’s outcome.
Some Quick Notes:
The Panthers are missing their starting center Austin Corbett and starting right guard Robert Hunt, who were both hurt in Week 2. This could play into how well or not the Panthers can run and protect Bryce Young (more below).
Young and rookie wide receiver Tetairoa McMillan has shown some excellent chemistry thus far; the duo has connected 14 times for 216 yards, an average of 15.4 yards per catch.
Will Christian Gonzalez play? And if so, how much and on who? Also for the Patriots, can they hold on to the ball this week?
So now we can look at some key matchups and who holds the Razor’s Edge. First up is the Patriots offense:
Patriots RBs vs. Panthers Front Seven — Edge New England
The Patriots’ running game last week was victimized by putting the ball on the ground three times against the Steelers. And the team has yet to consistently find a rhythm by running the ball this season.
So, why do the Patriots get the nod here? Carolina is giving up a whopping 5.4 yards per carry on the ground. And with the Patriots at home and wanting to establish balance, they should be able to move the ball here. Protecting it however, is another story.
But the key matchup here is Mike Onwenu going against the Panthers’ Derrick Brown who is an outstanding player in the Panthers 3-4 front.
Patriots WRs vs. Panthers Secondary — Edge New England
The Patriots’ passing game seems to be finding a rhythm with Drake Maye in Josh McDaniels’ offense. Carolina has a good secondary that thrives on the takeaway. However, the Panthers have just one sack in three games.
They like to mix it up creeper pressure, and blitzing a coverage then dropping a rushing player into coverage. Last week they confused Michael Penix badly, before he was benched in the second half.
Carolina plays zone coverage the vast majority of the time, so, there won’t be big lanes for Drake Maye to scramble this week.
This feels like another Hunter Henry/Austin Hooper, type of game. I look for Stefon Diggs to get more looks, possibly from the slot this week. Play-action passing will probably loom large here this week.
Next up, the Panthers offense:
Panthers RBs vs. NE Front Seven — Edge New England
The Patriots have done a tremendous job of limiting their opponents’ running games thus far, allowing just 60.3 yards per game on the ground. They have been able to use a stifling penetrating front seven to take away the running game of their opponents.
Carolina is still looking for some consistency running ball, leading the way for them is Chuba Hubbard, who has 163 yards and is averaging 3.9 yards per carry this season. Carolina is averaging 90.7 yards per game.
The big men in the middle for the Patriots, Christian Barmore, and Milton Williams have to disrupt everything here, (more below) and stop the run at the point of attack.
Panthers WRs vs. NE Secondary — Edge New England
The Carolina passing game, despite the connection between Bryce Young and Tetairoa McMillan hasn’t gelled yet, averaging just 186.3 yards per game. It will be interesting to see who the Patriots try to match up with the 6’4 McMillan, who is nursing a calf injury but will play on Sunday. It could be Gonzalez in his first game back or it possibly Carlton Davis.
One guy to watch (IMO) is Hunter Renfrow this week. He could play a bigger role against the Patriots than he did against Atlanta.
But with Young, who is only 5’10, the key to the game is not allowing him to roll out and get to the edge, but keeping him in the pocket and forcing him to hold the ball. He gets it out extremely quickly, like someone else in Miami. And he’s at his best when he gets the ball out quickly using the middle of the field. That’s where the matchups with Williams and Barmore against backups RG Chandler Zavala and C Cade Mayes are so important. They need to be disruptive.
Special Teams — Edge Carolina
The Patriots’ special teams units continue the up and down game. They need a big bounce-back type of contest.
Carolina gets the clear edge here with their kicking game.
Next up, who wins and why…
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Prediction:
The Patriots blew a perfect chance of putting together their first winning streak in three years. Now, they’re trying to get back to .500. The Panthers can build a winning streak of their own, after wiping out the Falcons last week in a big shocker 30-0. The Patriots can’t have another of those abominations handling the ball like it is covered in gorilla snot. Ball security is paramount this week.
The Patriots are favored by 5.5, which is a surprise. But, Drake Maye will continue his streak of playing well in the system. And this time, it is the Patriots who force a couple of turnovers. New England 29-17
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A former US Army Special Forces NCO and Officer, Steve has been following the Patriots since their days at Fenway Park. Steve has worked in the film industry and wrote as an Military Editor at SpecialOperations.com, 1945.com as a reporter for the Millbury Daily Voice, Millbury-Sutton Chronicle, and the Grafton News. He's also a member of the Pro Football Writers of America (PFWA)
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