The 1-0 Panthers nearly blew their first game and were outscored badly in the 4th quarter last week. The Panthers have injuries to deal with and are rumored not to be playing their starters, including QBs, in week two. There has been bad blood between these two teams in joint practices, so play on the field may be more intense than one might expect. The Patriots, 0-1 in the preseason likely will play their starters today, including Jones to some degree. It would be unlike Belichick not to take today’s game seriously, so look much more intensity after a loss last week.

Expect to see almost a full Patriots complement on defense, bad news for the Panthers’ back-ups and youngsters . The Patriots are the favorite today: take them to win and cover against an in-flux Panthers lineup. 7*