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Patriots vs. Panthers preview: 4 matchups that could decide Sunday’s game

Despite sharing a record, you would be hard pressed to find two teams that are as diametrically different as the New England Patriots and Carolina Panthers.

Carolina lit the world on fire over the course of their first three games of the season; stifling opposing offenses with their relentless front-7 and playing smart/mistake-free football while reeling off a few wins. Then the wheels came falling off. Christian McCaffrey got hurt, and suddenly Carolina was unable to win on defense alone, losing three straight one possession games before getting blown out on the road against the New York Giants and eventually squeezing by the awful Atlanta Falcons a week ago.