New England at Carolina

New England hasn't played its best players or its best football, but the Patriots are 2-0. Do you want to go against the best coach in the game in Week 3? New England has outstanding defense and depth on both sides of the line, scoring 34 and 23 points in two preseason games -- both without Tom Brady. This is the dress rehearsal game and the Patriots are a dog, something you don't find too often. Mobile QB Jimmy Garoppolo has played well, completing 11-of-18 for 168 yards in Week 1, then 16-of-21 for 181 yards in Week 2. He has no turnovers. The New England defense is loaded with young talent, holding the Saints to 2.6 yards per rush and Chicago to 4.2 yards per carry. The Pats have had extra time to prepare, playing Thursday in Week 2 while the Panthers played Saturday night on the road at Tennessee. The Panthers are the defending NFC champs and have nothing to prove this August. They lost the opener to Baltimore and played one-dimensional Tennessee last week. Now they face a wide-open spread attack that New England runs. Carolina is playing with three rookies in the secondary, including two starting cornerbacks. The shoddy performance by the second-team offensive tackles against Baltimore prompted the Panthers to sign former East Carolina lineman Willie Smith. With only one practice under his belt, Smith traveled to Nashville but did not play. These teams met in Week 3 last August and the Patriots won a defensive battle, 17-16, on this same field. Carolina had 84 rushing yards, at just 3.1 ypc, and Garoppolo was 13-of-17 for 126 yards, one TD and no picks. Look for a similar style defensive game and grab the talented dog. Take the Patriots and the UNDER.