The New England Patriots and Carolina Panthers will go toe to toe on Sunday at Bank of America Stadium for a Week 9 showdown. Both of these teams are coming off road wins in Week 8 as the Panthers were able to fend off the Falcons, while New England went across the country to Los Angeles and defeated Justin Herbert and the Chargers largely thanks to two key interceptions by safety Adrian Phillips.
While Phillips was able to get some revenge against his former squad, a similar storyline will be worth following in this head-to-head. This is the first matchup that Panthers corner Stephon Gilmore will have against his former Patriots team since the club traded him back in early October. Gilmore has already noted that he's looking forward to this contest, so it safe to assume he'll be extra motivated to lock down Mac Jones and the rest of the New England offense.
Below, you'll find our full preview for this Week 9 matchup.
How to watchDate: Sunday, Nov. 7 | Time: 1 p.m. ET
Location: Bank of America Stadium (Charlotte, North Carolina)
TV: CBS | Stream: Paramount+ (click here)
Follow: CBS Sports App
Odds: Patriots -3.5, O/U 41
The Panthers get pressure on the quarterback as good as any team in the NFL. The club's 33% pressure rate on opponents' dropbacks is the fifth-highest in the league and is allowing opposing quarterbacks just 2.28 seconds before pressure, which is the best mark in the NFL. Meanwhile, the Patriots are allowing 2.41 seconds before pressure this season (seventh-lowest amount of time in the NFL). According to Pro Football Focus, Jones is completing 56% of his passes when under pressure on 5.5 yards per attempt. When working in a clean pocket, he's completing nearly 73% of his throws and has a yards per attempt of 7.7, so it'll be imperative for New England's O-line to give him as much time as possible before the Carolina pass rush starts to breathe down his neck.
Can Panthers QBs be more efficient passers?It's currently unclear whether it will be Sam Darnold (concussion) or P.J. Walker under center for the Panthers. However, no matter who is starting for Carolina on Sunday, they'll need to be much more efficient passing the football than they have been over the course of the season. The Panthers have completed a league-low 59% of their passes this season. Darnold has completed 60.8% of his passes in 2021, while Walker has completed 49.3% of his throws for his career. New England is allowing opposing quarterbacks to complete 61% of their passes this season, which is the third-lowest in the league, so it could be tough sledding for whoever is QB1 on Sunday.
PredictionLatest Odds: Carolina Panthers +3.5
The Panthers could get a boost offensively if Christian McCaffrey is able to make his return for this game, but the Patriots do seem to be the more complete team at this point in the season, especially with Carolina's quarterback position uncertain. New England comes into Week 9 ranking seventh in the NFL in margin of victory (5.2) and is averaging 6.2 yards per play over
