The New England Patriots dispatched the Carolina Panthers on Sunday, winning 24-6 at Bank of America Stadium. Here are six things we learned in that Week 9 matchup:
1. An AFC East title is within the Patriots’ reach
That was the biggest takeaway from Sunday after the Patriots beat down the Panthers and the Jacksonville Jaguars pulled off a shocking upset of the Buffalo Bills. Viewed as prohibitive divisional favorites since before the season began, the 5-3 Bills now lead the 5-4 Patriots by just a half-game in the AFC East standings with two games between these longtime rivals still to come (Weeks 13 and 16).