A battle of unbeatens takes place in Week 3 of the NFL preseason when the New England Patriots visit the Carolina Panthers. Eight teams have yet to lose and this is the only matchup that features two of them. Tom Brady saw extended action last week and the Pats felt better after knocking off Philly in their Super Bowl rematch, and Brady shook the hand of Nick Foles afterwards. We never know what Bill Belichick is going to do in the preseason and there’s a chance Brady doesn’t play on Friday.
This duel in Week 3 of the preseason will go down Friday, August 24, 2018, at 7:30 p.m. ET at Bank of America Stadium.
NFL Opening Odds at BookMaker.eu
New England Patriots +2
Carolina Panthers -2
Over/Under 46
Odds Analysis
The Panthers opened as a 2-point favorite but the line could see serious movement given the condition of Carolina’s offensive line. Several factors go into that, including fewer snaps for Cam Newton and Christian McCaffrey, which could also impact the total that opened at 46. Belichick is known to be indifferent about the preseason, but he has a winning record in the Week 3 dress rehearsal games.
Quarterback Rotation
Unlike previous seasons Brady got plenty of work in the Week 2 matchup with the Eagles. He played late into the first half ending the day with 172 yards and two touchdowns on 19 of 26 passing. The Pats scored on four of his six drives and led 27-7 at halftime. We’ll probably see Brady for a series or two on Friday, though it wouldn’t be a complete surprise if he sat out. And given the opponent last week, Brady probably wanted to have a few extra snaps.
Brian Hoyer is entrenched as the backup and will get first-team reps against the Panthers. There is no competition behind Brady and Hoyer with rookie Danny Etling the only other QB on the roster, and he’s likely to get the nod in Week 4.
Cam Newton overcame an early interception and had a strong Week 2 outing completing 9 of 12 for 89 yards with a touchdown. Working with new offensive coordinator Norv Turner to increase his completion percentage, Newton is expected to play most of the first half on Friday. So far so good for Cam, who has completed 71.4 percent of his throws in two preseason games.
The competition for the backup job continues between Taylor Heinicke and Garrett Gilbert. The two split second half reps last week with Heinicke starting the third quarter. He went 5 of 9 for 88 yards and salvaged a touchdown in the last of his four drives after two punts and in interception. Gilbert finished things off going 3 of 5 for 23 yards. Look for the same QB rotation on Friday.
Players to Watch
It’s not an ideal situation for Panthers coach Ron Rivera. With Matt Kalil experiencing knee soreness and unlikely to play in the dress rehearsal, Carolina will be down three offensive linemen who opened training camp as starters. Tackle Daryl Williams and guard Amini Silatolu are both dealing with knee injuries and there is no timetable for their return.
We will see some shuffling around up front with Tyler Moton the top candidate to replace Kalil at left tackle and Jeremiah Sirles a potential replacement. The good news is that the Panthers have a number of bodies on their roster ready to take snaps. The bad news is that they were buried on the depth chart for a reason. And they face a New England defense that recorded eight sacks last week and knocked Foles out of the game with an injury.
Free ATS Pick
With their line a mess it’s hard to imagine the Panthers doing anything exotic on offense. The best hope is to escape Friday’s game in one piece and then look elsewhere for help. The Pats already injured one quarterback and harassed the Eagles with eight sacks last week and now they go against a group of second- and third-stringers.
If the line springs a leak don’t expect Cam to play as long as he normally would. With Heinicke and Gilbert getting more snaps, the Pats will have a better chance of getting a victory while keeping the score below the total.
NFL Odds: Patriots 23, Panthers 13
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