New England Patriots vs Carolina Panthers

This game is sure to be a great one as the New England Patriots who are 7-2 and are coming off of their bye week are going to face the surprisingly talented Carolina Panthers who are 6-3 and are coming off of a huge 10-9 victory over the San Francisco 49ers.  The Carolina Panthers have the most underrated defense in the league led by Luke Kuechly who has 75 tackles on the season and 3 interceptions.  While their secondary may be considered average their front is astoundingly physical and can easy make teams offensive lines miserable if they bother to underestimate them.  Also let’s not forget about perhaps the most underrated offensive talent in the league in Cam Newton who had perhaps the best rookie season in 2011 in recent memory and is on pace for a respectable 2013 season.  Cam Newton is 6 feet 5 and 245 pounds and is scary accurate at times when throwing the ball and is also exceptionally quick plus has Steve Smith and Greg Olsen to throw to.  The returning Shane Vereen is going to have to be on his A game in order to keep the Panthers on their toes because Tom Brady is sure to feel some pressure from that stout Panthers front.  This is a tough test that can make or break the Panthers season so the Patriots are going to have to play mistake free football in order to win this one if Talib comes back from his injury he will be asked to cover Steve Smith which is not an easy task and also how are the Patriots going to cover Greg Olsen?  Will the offensive line keep Brady up enough to make his throws?  Will the run game be a huge factor now that they have Vereen back as well as having Ridley, Blount, and Bolden?  Time will tell but this could be one of the games of the year.