The third preseason game is often referred to as the "dress rehearsal" for the regular season.
Friday against the New England Patriots (7:30 p.m. Panthers TV/Time Warner), head coach Ron Rivera hopes his starters will be at their Sunday best – for a half at least.
"We're going to take them into the third quarter and see how things are going," Rivera said.
The starting units have played well in limited action in the first two games against teams that weren't in the playoffs last season. Now they'll get extended time against a perennial playoff team.