NFL’s Week 1 preseason schedule features a Thursday Night Football doubleheader, with the Carolina Panthers taking on the New England Patriots to kick things off. The Panthers are looking to bounce back after a rough 2023 season, while the Patriots are now in rebuilding mode.
Here is everything you need to know surrounding the Panthers vs. Patriots Week 1 preseason game, including the time, channel, live stream options, and more.
Carolina Panthers at New England Patriots
- Start time: Thursday, August 8, 2024, 7 p.m. ET
- Channel: NFL Network
- Live stream options: NFL App, NFL+, Hulu + Live TV, YouTube TV
- Radio stations: Panthers Radio Network, 98.5 The Sports Hub
- Starting QBs: Jack Plummer, Drake Maye
- Betting lines:
- Spread: NE -6.5
- Total: 33.5
- Moneyline: NE -278, CAR +225
The 2024 season is a chance for the Panthers and Patriots to rebound from a rough campaign.
After selecting quarterback Bryce Young first overall in the 2023 NFL Draft, the Panthers would stumble to a 2-15 record, fire head coach Frank Reich, and watch as the Chicago Bears selected quarterback Caleb Williams in the 2024 NFL Draft with the pick they had given up to take Young the year prior.
With Dave Canales taking over as HC, can Young and the Panthers have a better year?
Carolina has to take a step forward, especially on the offensive, for Young’s sake. The second-year quarterback was sacked 62 times last season, the second-most in the league. Also, they allowed the fourth-highest pressures per dropback at 41.1%. However, it wasn’t all on the offensive line as they allowed Young, on average, 2.89 seconds to throw — the eleventh-most in the league.
Young made plenty of mistakes as a rookie. However, with a less-than-stellar receiving core, he wasn’t set up for much success either. Ten-year veteran WR Adam Thielen led the team with 1,014 yards, almost doubling the next receiver on the list.
While Thielen broke 1,000 yards for the first time since 2018, he did it much closer to the line of scrimmage, averaging just 7.72 air yards per target, a sharp decline from his 10.36 career average in Minnesota. Thielen had the highest receptions per target average of his career with the Panthers in 2023 at 75.2%, providing Young with a reliable and consistent set of hands.
Carolina thankfully got Young and Thielen some reinforcements this offseason by trading for Diontae Johnson and drafting Xavier Legette with the last pick in the first round of the 2024 NFL Draft. Combined with a splash on the offensive line by signing Robert Hunt, the Panthers are ready to see improvement.
2023 Panthers and Patriots Stats Leaders
- QB:
- Panthers: Bryce Young, 315 cmp/527 att, 2,877 yards, 11 TDs, 10 INTs
- Patriots: Mac Jones, 224 cmp/345 att, 2,120 yards, 10 TDs, 12 INTs
- RB:
- Panthers: Chubba Hubbard, 238 carries, 902 yards, five TDs
- Patriots: Ezekiel Elliott, 184 carries, 642 yards, three TDs
- WR:
- Panthers: Adam Thielen, 103 rec/137 targets, 1014 yards, four TDs, two fumbles
- Patriots: DeMario Douglas, 49 rec/79 targets, 561 yards