Getty J.C. Jackson
The New England Patriots are on a three-game win streak. On Sunday, November 7, New England dominated the Carolina Panthers en route to a 24-6 victory.
The Patriots’ defense has become the bane of Panthers QB Sam Darnold’s NFL existence. Darnold began his career as a member of the New York Jets where Bill Belichick and Co. left him befuddled twice a year.
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Darnold was traded to the Panthers this past offseason, and after Sunday’s disastrous performance, nothing has changed besides the uniform and the receivers Darnold is failing to connect with on his passes. New England leaned heavily on its run game in the face of a fierce Panthers pass rush that did manage to sack Mac Jones twice, forcing a fumble on one occasion. Jones had just 18 pass attempts, completing 12 of them, and he threw an interception on an excellent read from ex-Patriots CB Stephon Gilmore.
The Patriots’ run game was just as much responsible for the win as the defense. With a steady contribution from Damien Harris, Rhamondre Stevenson and Brandon Bolden, New England’s backs came up big. The team rushed for 151 yards on 39 carries and a TD. The rookie Stevenson had the most success with 62 yards on just 10 carries. Hunter Henry caught a TD pass for the fifth consecutive week in what turned out to be a strong team win. On the downside, the Patriots lost Harris and WR Gunner Olszewski to head injuries. Neither returned to the game once leaving for evaluation.
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Here is a taste of the Twitter reaction following the victory.
Twitter Reacts to the Patriots’ Win
Zack Cox of NESN was one of many to marvel at Jamie Collins’ interception.
Incredible play by Jamie Collins, who also buried Christian McCaffrey one play earlier.
The quest for Jakobi Meyers’ first TD reception continues. He had one reception for 8 yards against the Panthers, but his NFL-record total without a score keeps mounting. WEEI’s Ryan Hannable had the tweet:
Patriots WR Jakobi Meyers now has the most receiving yards in NFL history (1,522) without a touchdown reception.
Boston Globe’s Ben Volin added context to J.C. Jackson’s pick-six.
JC Jackson had the Patriots’ longest INT return since 2010
In case you were wondering, there was a ton of love for Gilmore after the game.
What’s Next For the Patriots?
The Patriots’ defense has been spectacular over the past three weeks. They have surrendered a total of 44 points to the New York Jets, Los Angeles Chargers and Carolina Panthers. New England scored enough against New York alone (54) to best that total.
The Cleveland Browns are next for the Patriots who are now just a half game behind the Buffalo Bills in the AFC East. Here is a look at the rest of the Patriots’ schedule and their results from the 2021 season.
New England Patriots (5-4) 2021 Regular Season Schedule
- Week 1 – vs. Miami Dolphins 17, New England Patriots 16
- Week 2 – New England Patriots 25, at New York Jets 6
- Week 3 – New Orleans Saints 28, New England Patriots 13
- Week 4 – Tampa Bay Buccaneers 19, New England Patriots 17
- Week 5 – New England Patriots 25, at Houston Texans 22
- Week 6 – Dallas Cowboys 35, New England Patriots 29 – OT
- Week 7 – New England Patriots 54, New York Jets 13
- Week 8 – New England Patriots 27, Los Angeles Chargers 24
- Week 9 – New England Patriots 24, at Carolina Panthers 6
- Week 10 – Cleveland Browns at 1 pm ET – CBS – November 14
- Week 11 – at Atlanta Falcons at 8:20 pm ET – FOX/NFL Network/Amazon – November 18
- Week 12 – Tennessee Titans at 1 pm ET – CBS – November 28
- Week 13 – at Buffalo Bills at 8:15 pm ET – ESPN – December 6
- Week 14 – Bye Week
- Week 15 – at Indianapolis Colts Time TBA – December 18
- Week 16 – Jacksonville Jaguars at 1 pm ET – CBS – January 2
- Week 17 – at Miami Dolphins at 1 pm ET – CBS – January 9
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