The penultimate preseason game is typically seen as the “dress rehearsal” for the regular season. As such, it is our best chance to see what the Panthers will look like come week 1. The schemes are still mostly vanilla, but the starters tend to play into the second half so it kind of feels like a real football game. The Panthers couldn’t have asked for a much better test for this final tune-up than the one they’re getting. Offensively, the Patriots play a style that will test the questionable areas of the Panthers defense, meaning this game could quell many fears or send fans into a panic.
No word yet on whether or not Terrific Tom Brady will see his first action of the preseason on Friday. He’s recovered from the gruesome thumb injury that kept him out of the Patriots week 2 affair with the Bears, but the jury is still out on if the Patriots will elect to get him some reps before his suspension kicks in, or if they will let Jimmy Garoppolo get the vital experience he needs before making his first career start in week 1. By the way, have you guys heard that Tom Brady allegedly probably knew about deflated footballs? Crazy stuff.
Regardless of the quarterback situation, the Panthers are taking on a Patriots team coming off a 12-4 season and their seventh consecutive playoff appearance. Josh McDaniels’ offense is composed of a good run/pass balance and a pass game predicated on quick, precise passing. It should pose the perfect challenge for the Panthers young secondary and defensive line depth before the regular season starts.
The Defensive Line
The Patriots offensive line has long been regarded as one of the strongest in the NFL. Jimmy Garoppolo has been sacked just twice on 41 drop backs, and he’s not even Tom Brady. The defensive end depth has looked shaky at best behind Kony Ealy and Charles Johnson, so now is the perfect opportunity for someone to step up and establish themselves in the rotation. Mario Addison and Wes Horton are probably the current favorites for the 3rd and 4th defensive end spots right now by default, as no one else has really elevated their play this preseason. In fact, Mario Addison and Kony Ealy were the only rotational DEs to even register in the box score. That has to get better by the time the Panthers travel to Denver, or you may see Dave Gettleman scouring the waiver wire for fresh depth at the position.
The Linebackers
The Panthers linebacking corps is really an embarrassment of riches. The top 5 spots are basically assured to Kuechly, Davis, Thompson, Klein, and Mayo. With his play on Saturday, David Mayo seems to be growing into a viable replacement for AJ Klein after the latter inevitably leaves for a starting gig following the upcoming season. Undrafted rookie Jeremy Cash made a strong case for that final open spot, but he’s got to leapfrog Ben Jacobs, who contributed to the team in 2015, to make the roster.
If the preseason iteration of the Patriots offense is anything like the regular season, we’ll get to see the linebackers put to the test covering the middle of the field. Will David Mayo be able to cover as well as Klein? Will 215 pound Jeremy Cash be able to hold up against the run? Will another guy step up and make a name for himself? Will Kuechly, Davis, and Shaq continue to be amazing?
The Secondary
Everybody’s concern for this upcoming season. Thus far, the Panthers secondary has been tested by WR corps headed by the likes of Rishard Matthews and Jeremy Butler (maybe?) and quarterbacked by Ryan Mallet and Marcus Mariota. This week, it can go one of two drastically different ways. Either the Panthers face Garoppolo, who’s looked strong in the preseason, but it remains to be seen how good he actually is; or they face future Hall of Famer/arguably the best QB of all time Tom Brady. It will probably be the toughest of the preseason no matter who is under center for the Patriots, but it would be very nice to see how the new look secondary fares against an elite QB.
The presumed slot CBs Bene Benwikere and Zack Sanchez both reeled in picks last week, and the former looks like he’s getting his spunk back. With rookie Daryl Worley struggling on the outside, it’d be nice to see Benwikere play outside with the ones while getting kicked in to the slot when the team runs it’s nickel packages.
Overall Outlook
The Patriots are far and away the best opponent the Panthers have faced thus far in the preseason, and it happens to fall in the third week. With an offensive scheme that counters the Panthers strengths and weaknesses well, the Patriots are the perfect opponent to shed some light on the answers to the questions about the Panthers secondary and defensive end depth. And it’s almost real football!