Sean's take:
Usually,
when Bill Belichick has two weeks to prepare for an opponent, his team
wins. The Patriots have lost just once coming off their bye since 2002,
but they'll need to beat a very strong Carolina team to do it this
season. Panthers dual-threat quarterback Cam Newton gets a lot of the
attention, but the main reason for team's success in 2013 is its
top-ranked scoring defense. It'll be a tough test for New England, but a
solid gameplan brings the team to 8-2.Prediction: Patriots 27, Panthers 17
Nick's take:
Tom Brady has won 13 of his 17 career appearances on Monday night, and this Monday should up that tally. The Patriots get back Aqib Talib in the defensive backfield and Shane Vereen in the offensive backfield, and both players could make an impact in this one -- Talib to help neutralize the Panthers' vertical game and Vereen to help soften up a very stout defense by getting the ball outside the tackles.
Prediction: Patriots 24, Panthers 20
