Carolina Panthers Will Look A Little Different In Preseason Matchup Against Patriots

By Michael Hurley, CBS Boston

BOSTON (CBS) -- The third preseason game every summer is generally considered the most important of the four games, to the point where it's colloquially referred to as a "dress rehearsal." And in keeping with that theme, the Carolina Panthers are looking to make a noticeable change in the wardrobe department for Friday night's home game against the Patriots.

The Panthers announced -- with much excitement -- on Thursday evening that the team would, for the first time, be wearing black pants with their blue jerseys.

See the big announcement for yourself:

According to Panthers.com, the team equipment manager said the suggestion came from the players.

This preseason has been a period of experimentation in terms of the Panthers' uniforms. Last week, the Panthers wore their blue jerseys with white pants, a combination previously unseen. Here's how Cam Newton looked in that combo:

The Panthers typically wear white pants with their white jerseys, and gray pants with their blue and black jerseys.

If you're wondering about the Patriots, outside of the "Color Rush" jerseys in recent years, they haven't worn their red throwback jerseys since the league banned teams from using different helmets in their alternate jersey setups in 2013.

The Patriots did, however, bring back the "Color Rush" jerseys from 2016 when they hosted the Falcons last year on Sunday Night Football.

Unfortunately, a 10-year fog prevented viewers at home from really seeing those jerseys in action:

The story in The Charlotte Observer regarding this week's uniform change in Carolina offers this headline: "You won't believe the uniform combo the Panthers will wear vs. Tom Brady, Patriots." That may be an oversell. But perhaps the new pants/jersey combination will look very nice.

In:
• Carolina Panthers
• NFL
• New England Patriots