Panthers vs. Patriots: Preview, score prediction for Week 4
By Randy Gurzi
Carolina Panthers vs New England Patriots
Things won’t be any easier for the Carolina Panthers in Week 4 after suffering through a terrible loss to a divisional opponent in Week 3. The New Orleans Saints high-powered offense made the Panthers defense look susceptible. Even worse than that was how the Panthers struggled despite the fact that the Saints defense has been suspect to say the least to this point.
One of the teams to light up that Saints defense was the New England Patriots. After an unexpected loss in Week 1, they’re back on track and had one of the craziest wins last week with the Houston Texans pulling out all the stops to try and knock down the champs.
Carolina Keys To Victory
Don’t let Brady get comfortable: Easier said than done, but the one thing that kept the Houston Texans from the upset was the fact that Patriots quarterback Tom Brady was on fire. He had time in the pocket and never threw a pick, but did toss five touchdowns. No matter how big a lead you get, it isn’t safe if Brady starts feeling it.
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Cam needs to find some accuracy: Another thing easier said than done. Ever since he made a “business decision” not to fall on a fumble in Super Bowl 50, Panthers quarterback Cam Newton has been awful. His supporters have a million excuses, but there can be none for throwing three picks against the Saints. Newton has to remember how to throw the ball to the right team or this gets ugly fast.
Stay disciplined on D: The Patriots will get their yards, it’s what they do. What Carolina has to do is stay disciplined and make the plays they can. If they try and play hero, Brady will destroy them. Stay in your lanes and do your jobs. That’s the only way they can give their offense a chance to pull off an huge upset.
New England Keys To Victory
Be you: There’s no secret here, New England is arguably the most complete team in football. They can’t get into the Panthers style of grind-it-out play. They have to dictate the speed of play, and if they do it will be tough for the Panthers to keep up.
Rattle Cam: As mentioned earlier, Newton has struggled recently. The key for New England will be to keep him looking for his rhythm. To do that the defense needs to get after him and force a mistake or two. If so, it will be all downhill for him.
Stick with the rookie: The one Carolina player who can make things difficult for defenses is rookie running back Christian McCaffrey. He had 101 yards through the air and can make things difficult if he gets it in space. New England has to keep tabs on him whenever he’s on the field.
Odds
Point Spread: New England, -9
Moneyline: New England -440, Carolina +350
Over/Under: 49
Odds via Sportsbook Review
Next: NFL 2017: One burning question for each team, Week 4
Prediction
There’s nothing about the Panthers right now that says they can even compete with the Patriots. This game will probably be an ugly one as the world champions should make quick work of the Panthers.
Final Score: Carolina Panthers: 13, New England Patriots: 34