The first full week of the 2024 NFL Preseason will start this week, with two games on Thursday. One of the first two games will feature the Carolina Panthers traveling to Foxborough, Massachusetts, to face the New England Patriots at Gillette Stadium. The matchup will kick off at 7:00 PM ET and air on the NFL Network.
The Bill Belichick era is over in New England as a team that had a dynasty for well over a decade will be without Tom Brady and Belichick for the first time this century after the New England Patriots finished with one of the worst records in the NFL at 4-13.
New England also was one of the worst teams at covering the spread last season at 5-11-1 while also going 1-6-1 ATS at home. The Patriots will also have a new starting quarterback this season after trading Mac Jones to the Jacksonville Jaguars. New England drafted Drake Maye out of North Carolina. In the first preseason game, Maye and Jacoby Brissett will likely see little to no action. Instead, the Patriots will feature Joe Milton, a rookie out of Tennessee, and Bailey Zappe will battle it out for snaps.
Carolina had another lousy season last year and finished with the worst record in the NFL at 2-15. The 1st overall selection in the 2023 NFL Draft, Bryce Young, looked lost for most of the season with almost as many interceptions (10) as he had touchdowns (11). The Panthers also didn't have a 1st round pick this season and traded away one of their top defensive stars, Brian Burns, to the Giants.
A team that finished 4-11-2 ATS overall and 1-7-1 ATS on the road is unlikely to see any vast improvement this season. Bryce Young will likely not play in this game. However, Jack Plummer, a rookie out of Louisville, and Jake Luton will likely play most of the quarterback game as both will likely be on the roster bubble.
With the teams playing in opposite conferences, the Carolina Panthers and New England Patriots rarely play in the regular season, only once every four seasons; the last time the teams played was in the 2021 NFL season, with the Patriots winning by a score of 24-6 on the road.
The teams have only faced each other eight times in the history of the NFL, with the teams splitting the eight matchups 4-4. Carolina has had the best result in recent series history, as they have won two of the last three and have covered the spread in three of the previous four games.
The Patriots are 2-2 at home in the series but are 0-4 ATS in those matchups.
Neither team is projected to be a competitive team in the 2024 NFL season, and neither had success at covering the spread last season, with New England only covering one game at home and Carolina only covering one game on the road.
However, The Panthers have gone 4-0 ATS on the road in the series, which is why I am buying the .5 point and taking the 7 points when the Carolina Panthers travel to face the New England Patriots in week 1 of the 2024 NFL Preseason on Thursday.
