The New England Patriots dominated the Carolina Panthers on Sunday by a score of 42-13, moving back to an even 2-2 record. There's no doubt the team had plenty of questions to answer after a horrendous performance last Sunday against the Steelers, but they delivered against the NFC South opponent.
After a dismal five turnovers the week prior, the Patriots played clean football: zero turnovers on the day. On top of that, their special teams nabbed a touchdown after Marcus Jones took a punt return back for six. A second punt return from Jones got the Patriots into the red zone, too.
The offense didn't put up ridiculous numbers: Rhamondre Stevenson led rushers with 38 yards, and after Stefon Diggs' 101-yard day, Hunter Henry's 39 yards were the most among pass catchers. Nonetheless, efficiency and clean football ruled. Stevenson, TreyVeon Henderson, and Antonio Gibson all had at least 4.2 yards per carry, and Drake Maye was 14/17.
Including Josh Dobbs' sole attempt, the Patriots saw just four balls hit the ground in the passing game.
Electric offensive performance couldn't have come at a better time
The Patriots are even at 2-2, but they haven't looked particularly impressive. They started the season with a loss against the Geno Smith-led Raiders, and their Week 3 performance against the Steelers will be ingrained in the memories of fans forever as one of the more dismal offensive displays.
Nonetheless, the team was able to reignite the 33-point fire they showed in Week 2, and they'll need all the momentum they can get heading into their Week 5 matchup against the reigning divisional champion Buffalo Bills.
The Bills have won the division each year since Tom Brady's departure, marking five seasons of dominance. It doesn't look like anything is going to change at this point, either. The Bills are 4-0, and had a tone-setting comeback against the Ravens in Week 1, outscoring a Lamar Jackson-led offense that put 40 on the board.
In divisional matchups, anything is possible. Buffalo had a two-possession but far from dominant win over the Saints this past week, struggling severely against the run, as both Alvin Kamara and Kendre Miller finished with healthy yards per carry on double-digit touches.
The Patriots, as we saw, are coming off their most explosive offensive performance since Mac Jones and company scored fifty against the Jaguars in 2021. If the Bills are slowing down and the Patriots are gaining steam, it could be a recipe for an upset. The teams will square off on Sunday Night Football on October 5, and it will be a real measuring stick for the rest of the Patriots' season.