The New England Patriots didn’t really need much from their offense against the Carolina Panthers on Sunday. And that was a good thing, because the offense didn’t look particularly strong except when Rhamondre Stevenson or Brandon Bolden had the ball in their hands. The Patriots defense was simply too dominant for the Panthers in New England’s 24-6 win.
Every Panthers drive was an exercise in futility. Even when they seemed to be on the verge of getting their offense going, quarterback Sam Darnold and company found a way to mess it up with penalties or turnovers. The best examples were Darnold’s second and third interceptions, which ended the Panthers’ two longest drives of the day. New England embarrassed the quarterback — so badly that it seems the Panthers made a grave mistake trading a package of picks for him last offseason. Bill Belichick again humbled Darnold, who has thrown one touchdown and nine interceptions in his six matchups (all losses) against the Patriots coach.
Here are our takeaways from the game.
