Unfortunate injury news continues to dominate headlines in the NFL so far this season, with the Patriots being spared of anything significant so far (fingers crossed it remains that way). The same cannot be said about their upcoming opponents, however, which certainly works in their favor when looking ahead on the schedule.
The first major injury news came following their Week 2 win over the Dolphins, as Bengals' quarterback Joe Burrow suffered a severe turf toe injury that will require surgery. He is expected to be out for three months, sidelining him for their visit to New England on November 23.
That's significant news for what will be a tough matchup for a revamped Patriots team, despite the fact that they snuck out a win against the Bengals in the season opener last year.
More injury news was broken on Monday morning about a much earlier opponent, as news about major injuries to the Panthers' offensive line was reported, which will significantly alter Carolina's chances in just a few weeks.
The Panthers suffer devastating losses to their offensive line just two weeks before facing the Patriots
On Monday afternoon, the Panthers announced they were moving two starting offensive linemen to injured reserve, with no timetable immediately available about their impending returns.
Because they face the Patriots on the road in Week 4, it will be tough for them to find any suitable backups to give their offense a legitimate chance to shut down the consistently impressive Patriots front seven, especially since they currently lead the league in sacks.
Not good for the #Panthers:
— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) September 15, 2025
— G Robert Hunt has a torn biceps
— C Austin Corbett has a torn MCL
Both are headed to IR — and it’ll be a while before either returns. pic.twitter.com/4IjnioTYDq
Patriots fans are already talking about how Christian Barmore, Harold Landry III, and Milton Williams are going to absolutely feast on the Panthers' depleted offensive protection, which is bad news for Bryce Young's chances under center.
They might have had better chances if Corbett and Hunt came out unscathed out of Week 2, as the Panthers almost toppled the Cardinals on the road on Sunday until Young fumbled in the final minutes of the game.
But for now, it's looking like another move in the Patriots' favor, yet they cannot overlook what the Panthers can still do. Although their chances to walk out with a win are significantly better than they might have been going into the game, they cannot assume the Panthers will just roll over and give them the win.
That doesn't appear to be something the Mike Vrabel-led team would do, which is a lot more than we could say about last year's team.