The New England Patriots and Carolina Panthers may not be the marquee matchup of Week 4’s early slate, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t important. The Pats aim to bounce back from a disastrous loss against Pittsburgh, while Carolina sets its sights on winning two in a row. Both can’t afford to fall to 1-3.

This is also a big game for Bryce Young and Drake Maye. Two quarterbacks out to prove they are franchise signal callers, after a month into their third and second seasons respectively, both aim for more consistent play.

Here is who our staff believes will come out on top.

Patriots 22, Panthers 21

The Patriots probably should have beaten the Steelers last week, which is crazy to say given that they turned the ball over five times. Even though the running backs carry the ball like it’s been greased with oil, and Drake Maye should have had three interceptions, I think New England course corrects this week.

That being said, the Panthers didn’t allow Michael Penix and the Atlanta Falcons to get past midfield last week. The defense was sharp, as was the special teams, leading me to believe that this one ends up being close, with Maye making a few big plays to seal it.

– Rob Gregson, A to Z Sports Pittsburgh

Patriots 20, Panthers 16

“Are we going to see the uninspiring Panthers from Weeks 1 and 2 or will we see the unit that killed their divisional rivals in Week 3? That seems almost impossible to predict but I feel more confident that the Panthers in Week 3 is the outlier than the latter. So, I’m going to roll with the Patriots in this one as I think Mike Vrabel wins the coaching battle and Drake Maye outplays Bryce Young to give the Patriots their second win of the year. The Patriots’ defense isn’t great by any means, but neither is Young and the Panthers’ offense.”

– Destin Adams, A to Z Sports Indianapolis

Patriots 24, Panthers 17

“The Panthers’ Week 3 performance won’t completely fool me. While I do think there offense has some exciting upside, the offensive line is incredibly banged up, and the Patriots will take advantage of that. For New England’s offense, they’ve gotta find more consistency. Hunter Henry has been their best pass catcher, and I’m interested to see if TreVeyon Henderson’s role increases this weekend after fumbling issues from the other running backs in the room.”

“I don’t see a blowout coming here in either direction, but the Pats should be able to handle this Panthers team upfront. That’s the difference for me.”

– Adam Holt, A to Z Sports New Orleans

Patriots 24, Panthers 13

“The history between the New England Patriots and the Carolina Panthers is actually an interesting one. The two teams have faced off only seven times in the regular season and the Panthers hold a 4-3 record overall, which might be surprising to some. However, I see New England getting the upper hand in this one to bounce back. Carolina’s defense looked much improved in Week 3 against the Atlanta Falcons, but for some reason it’s a team the Panthers usually play really strong against compared to other teams.”

“Having to go on the road will make for a tough environment and I can see Mike Vrabel working overtime this week to fix all the offensive mistakes the Patriots showed last week. Give me New England by two scores and I’ll even add a few costly mistakes by Bryce Young will be made in this game.”

– Kole Noble, A to Z Sports Chicago

Patriots 24, Panthers 16

“It’s kind of hard to get a proper feel on who both of these teams are. The Patriots have been competitive but gave their Week 3 contest against Pittsburgh away in maddening fashion. Carolina found their teeth defensively and waxed the Falcons on Sunday after a tough start to their own season. What unit do I ultimately trust the most? That would be the Patriots’ defense. Their front should make Bryce Young’s life hell in Week 4, so I’m looking for them (and potentially a returning Christian Gonzalez at cornerback) to tilt the scales.”

– Kyle Crabbs, A to Z Sports NFL

Patriots 23, Panthers 20

“This should be a very even matchup of two young teams that are trying to find their footing. The Panthers have built some momentum after a competitive loss in Week 2 and a blowout victory over the Atlanta Falcons in Week 3. However, I’m giving the edge to the Patriots because they are more explosive offensively. Turnovers have held them back, but Mike Vrabel is too good of a coach to allow them to continue at the rate they have been committing them. A sneakily stubborn Carolina defense will keep it close, but I think quarterback Drake Maye will close it out for New England late.”

– Nick Roesch, A to Z Sports Kansas City

Final Prediction for Patriots vs. Panthers

Not much of a contest here. Our staff is predicting the Patriots to win across the board, and in some cases to win big. It will be interesting to see if we have put the kibosh on New England, or if they can secure the win at home.

Carolina Panthers News

Panthers at Patriots highlighted by pair of young quarterbacks who still have more questions than answers surrounding NFL future

Bryce Young and Drake Maye have a long way to go.

Rob Gregson