Patriots-Panthers Week 9 Predictions
BOSTON (CBS) -- The Patriots have turned their season around with two straight victories, and will go for three in a row this weekend when they pay a visit to the Panthers in Charlotte.
Will the good times keep rolling in New England? The WBZ-TV and CBS Boston sports team makes their predictions for Sunday's tilt!
Steve Burton, WBZ-TV
The Patriots are 3.5 point favorites on the road for a reason. They are a better team than Carolina, and so far, they've been perfect on the road at 3-0.
Mac Jones didn't have his best game last week, and he claims he can play a whole lot better. The Patriots are starting to roll and their confidence is rolling right along with them.
Patriots 28, Panthers 10
Dan Roche, WBZ-TV
This will be a concentration game for the Patriots. They've been able to hit the reset button on their season after their win in Los Angeles. At 4-4, it's a chance to begin a chase for a playoff spot.
The Panthers have speed on both sides of the ball, so my fear is a bit of a letdown in the first half. The Patriots can't be caught off guard with all the speed on the Carolina D. They'll get after Mac and the offense.
Meanwhile, Carolina is great at possessing the ball too. The Pats have to be ready from the start and need to go toe-to-toe with them. Damien Harris has been New England's MVP of the first half, and once again this weekend, running the football will be key for the Patriots.
Patriots 24, Panthers 17
Levan Reid, WBZ-TV
I picked against the Pats last week, mainly because I needed to see them beat a good team. They did just that when they beat the Chargers.
I am not picking against them this week. New England has played well on the road and they are facing a Carolina team that is probably going to have a new starter at QB and their best player, Christian McCaffrey, will -- at best -- be on limited snaps.
Plus, this is a Patriots team that's starting to stack practice days and game wins together. They should continue to feel good about themselves and get the win this week.
Patriots 24, Panthers 14
Michael Hurley, CBS Boston
I'm operating under the assumption that Sam Darnold isn't playing, yet even if he was ... he's not very good.
P.J. Walker, though, is worse, and the Patriots' defense shouldn't have any problem with him.
These two teams are headed in opposite directions.
Patriots 20, Panthers 13
Matthew Geagan, CBS Boston
Get ready for a game full of long possessions that mostly lead to field goals. Or if Patriots fans are lucky enough, a few interceptions and ghosts sightings from Sam Darnold.
The Panthers have a pretty solid defense, and as long as they don't mess it up on offense, they are a pretty solid team overall. But they tend to mess it up on offense, considering Darnold has 11 turnovers in his eight games. The Panthers as a team have 12 turnovers.
Darnold may not even play, which means the New England defense will get to see P.J. Walker. Make him make mistakes, and the Patriots should have their third straight win.
Patriots 23, Panthers 16
Tune in to Sunday's Patriots-Panthers game on WBZ-TV — the flagship station of the New England Patriots. Tune in Friday at 7pm for Patriots All Access, while Patriots GameDay kicks off Sunday's coverage at 11:30am. The Patriots-Panthers follow at 1pm, and after the game stick with WBZ for full reaction and analysis on Patriots Fifth Quarter!
