"On the surface, the New England Patriots' 42-13 pasting of the Carolina Panthers at Gillette Stadium on Sunday afternoon is quite the rosy picture. Patriots' fans have been waiting a long time - four seasons in fact - for New England's offense to put up 40 points. It gave us flashbacks to the good old days of Tom Brady marching up and down the Foxborough gridiron."
"However, the Patriots got some breaks, with the biggest one being the team that was lined up across from them. The Panthers are absolutely dreadful and will be "fighting" the Saints for the NFC South basement throughout this season. New England's defense allowed Carolina to march straight down the field on the game's first possession for a touchdown - a drive aided by two penalties - and flashbacks to last week's sloppy loss to the Steelers flashed before our eyes."
"The Patriots' first offensive drive featured a 3-and-out, but fortunately, Marcus Jones was able to turn things around with his 87-yard punt return for a touchdown. You take that out of the equation, and who knows how this game turns out. Slow starts have plagued this team throughout the early part of the season, and let's face it, the Buffalo Bills are not the Carolina Panthers; a repeat performance next week will not yield a positive result."
New England crushed Carolina 42-13, propelled partly by an 87-yard Marcus Jones punt-return touchdown and facing a fundamentally weak Panthers team. Carolina scored on the game's opening drive, aided by two penalties, exposing recurring Patriots slow starts and defensive lapses that mirrored earlier struggles. The offense finally produced 40 points for the first time in four seasons, but the scoring flattered the team given opponent quality. Continued slow openings leave New England vulnerable against elite quarterbacks and stronger opponents. A matchup with the Buffalo Bills next week presents a major test that likely will not tolerate another sluggish start.
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