The Patriots Can’t Lose To The Panthers

By Steve Atkinson 

The Patriots, coming off a loss to Pittsburgh due to turnovers and penalties, are looking to bounce back against the Panthers at home on Sunday. Both teams are currently 1-2, but the Panthers are riding high after a win against Atlanta.

Let me be clear: just like Week 2 was a must-win for the Patriots, so is Week 4. You definitely don’t want to head into Buffalo next week with a record of 1-3, especially since it’s evident that Buffalo will be favored in that matchup. Being 2-2 is certainly better than being 1-3.

If the Patriots can play mistake-free football on Sunday, they should be able to secure an easy win. This will also mark the first time Drake Maye faces his childhood team. When asked about his favorite memory of the Panthers growing up, Drake had some interesting insights to share

Favorite all-time memory? That’s a good question. I went to the Super Bowl when they lost to Payton Manning, and man, that was tough. But yeah, just that season. I think it was 15-1. I was at that NFC Championship game at home, a big-time win. Just being a fan of Cam [Newton], I think, was probably the biggest memory. He’s coming out here and doing the airplane and hitting the Cam, so just little things like that. Getting to know him later on and playing him. He coaches a 7 on 7 team and plays him and plays against him and sees stuff like that. Just getting to know some of the players around has been pretty cool.”

Drake Maye’s favorite player growing up was Cam Newton, but playing as a Patriot, he can stick it to Carolina on Sunday and have a good game since the Panthers did do Cam Newton dirty at the end.

Christian Gonzalez looks like he will be ready for Sunday. They need him because that secondary doesn’t really cut it without him out there. The Dolphins and the Steelers had some big plays, even the Raiders, in week one. Gonzalez out there is huge and gets him ready for the following week in Buffalo. Drake’s thoughts on Gonzalez

Yeah, Gonzo. I mean, since the day I got here, it’s always good to have somebody, him and CD [Carlton Davis], on the other side of the ball that makes it challenging, that makes it challenging to make throws. They don’t make it easy. I think that’s things where you develop with guys on my side of the ball, a different kind of level above the next when he’s making throws difficult, when he’s making this route difficult, back shoulders on go routes, and little things like that. He’s a great player, and I’m looking forward to seeing him when he gets back.”

I believe Diggs is poised for a breakout game. If the team decides to go for it on fourth down, he should be their primary receiver. Last week, Douglas struggled with his positioning and ended up going backwards on a crucial fourth down late in the game. I expect Diggs to have a standout performance on Sunday.