NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS (1-1) vs. CAROLINA PATHERS (1-1)
Fri., Aug. 22, 2014 at 7:30 p.m. ET
* Gillette Stadium (68,756)*
After two straight weeks of joint practice sessions with a preseason opponent in advance of a game, the Patriots will practice against themselves this week prior to Friday's home game against the Carolina Panthers in Preseason Game No. 3.
This week's game will mark the second straight preseason contest against a team the Patriots faced in a Super Bowl. Last Friday, the Patriots scored six touchdowns, gained 250 yards on the ground and forced four turnovers in a 42-35 win over the Philadelphia Eagles. The Patriots beat Philadelphia, 24-21, in Super Bowl XXXIX.
The Patriots and Panthers met in Super Bowl XXXVIII, a 32-29 New England win.
Last season, the Patriots and Panthers met on Monday Night Football in Carolina, with the Panthers taking a 24-20 win on Nov. 18.
BROADCAST INFORMATION
TELEVISION: This week's game will be broadcast by the Patriots Preseason Television Network and can be seen in every New England state as well as Hawaii. The preseason network's flagship station is WBZ-TV CBS in Boston. WBZ-TV's Dan Roche provides playby- play and is joined by former Patriots tight end Christian Fauria in the broadcast booth. Former Patriots linebacker Matt Chatham will provide sideline analysis along with WBZTV's Steve Burton. Patriots Football Weekly scribes Paul Perillo and Andy Hart will also provide insight and analysis.
PATRIOTS PRESEASON TELEVISION NETWORK
Massachusetts
Boston, Mass. WBZ-TV Ch. 4
Springfield, Mass. WWLP-TV Ch. 22
Rhode Island
Providence, R.I. WPRI-TV Ch. 12
New Hampshire
Manchester, N.H. WMUR-TV Ch. 9
Connecticut
Hartford, Conn. WTNH-TV Ch. 8
Maine
Portland, Maine WMTW-TV Ch. 8
Bangor, Maine WVII-TV Ch. 7
Vermont
Burlington, Vt. WCAX-TV Ch. 3
Hawaii
Honolulu, Hawaii KFVE-TV Ch. 5
RADIO: 98.5 FM, The Sports Hub, is the flagship station for the Patriots Radio Network. Play-by-play broadcaster Bob Socci will call the action along with former Patriots quarterback Scott Zolak, who will provide color analysis.
SERIES HISTORY
After meeting in a competitive Monday Night Football contest last season, when a Tom Brady pass to TE Rob Gronkowski fell incomplete on the last play of the game to give Carolina a 24-20 win at Bank of America Stadium on Nov. 18, 2013, the Patriots will host Carolina this Friday in the seventh preseason meeting between the two teams and the first preseason meeting since 2007, when the Patriots beat the Panthers, 24-7, at Carolina on Aug. 24.
New England leads the preseason matchups with a 4-2 advantage in the last six preseason games.
Carolina holds the edge in the regular season with a 3-2 margin.
The Patriots and Panthers met in Super Bowl XXXVIII on Feb. 2, 2004. The Patriots-Panthers Super Bowl is widely believed to be among the most entertaining Super Bowls ever played, as the Panthers took a fourth-quarter lead only to see the Patriots come up with a game-winning field goal to clinch the see-saw battle in the final seconds.
Overall Record (regular season and playoffs): 3-3
Record in Foxborough: 1-1
Record in Charlotte: 1-2
Record in Houston: 1-0
Total Points in the Series: Patriots 144, Panthers 116
Patriots' Largest Margin of Victory: 32 points (01/06/02)
Patriots' Largest Margin of Defeat: 10 points (09/18/05)
Highest Combined Point Total: 61 points (02/01/04)
Lowest Combined Point Total: 37 points (10/29/95)
Games Decided by Seven or Fewer Points: 3
Games Decided by 21 or More Points: 1
Current Win Streak: Panthers, one game
PRESEASON HISTORY
The Patriots are 46-38 (.548) in the preseason since Robert Kraft purchased the team in 1994. Prior to 1994, the Patriots were 60-96-1 (.385) in the preseason. New England enters this week's game with an all-time preseason mark of 106-134-1 (.442).
BILL BELICHICK IN THE PRESEASON
Bill Belichick has compiled an overall record of 43-36 (.544) in the preseason, including a 32-27 (.542) mark as Patriots head coach. Belichick's teams have been .500 or above in 16 of his 19 previous preseasons as a head coach in the NFL.
CONNECTIONS
NEW ENGLAND TIES
Panthers LB Luke Kuechly played in 38 games with 37 starts from 2009-11 at Boston College, where he finished his collegiate career with a school-record 532 tackles, including 299 solo tackles. Following his junior season, Kuechly earned consensus first-team All-America and All-ACC honors and was the recipient of the Bronko Nagurski Trophy (national defensive player of the year), Butkus Award (nation's most outstanding linebacker), Rotary Lombardi Award (nation's lineman or inside linebacker of the year) and Lott Impact Trophy (defensive player of the year).
* Panthers general manager Dave Gettleman was born in Boston, Mass. and earned a bachelor's degree from Springfield College in 1972. He also earned a master's degree in physical education from Southern Connecticut State in 1978.
* Panthers special teams coordinator Richard Rogers served as the defensive coordinator at Holy Cross from 2006-11 after handling the secondary in 2005.
* Panthers assistant strength and conditioning coach Jason Benguche played offensive line for Springfield College from 2002-05 and began his coaching career as a student assistant at the University of Massachusetts in 2005.
* Panthers linebackers coach Al Holcomb served as linebackers coach, assistant track coach and physical education instructor at Colby College in 1997.
* Panthers senior offensive assistant John Ramsdell played running back at Springfield College from 1972-75.
* Panthers defensive line coach Eric Washington served as the defensive coordinator at the Naval Academy Preparatory School in Newport, R.I. from 1998-2000.
CAROLINA TIES
- Patriots offensive line coach Dave DeGuglielmo served as the offensive line coach for South Carolina in 1999 and 2003, and held the title of offensive tackles/tight ends coach for the Gamecocks from 2000-02.
FORMER PATRIOTS
- Panthers WR Tiquan Underwood appeared in six games with the Patriots in 2011, recording three receptions for 30 yards.
FORMER PANTHERS
- Patriots LB James Anderson was originally drafted by Carolina in the third round (88th overall) of the 2006 NFL Draft and played in 94 games with 53 starts over seven seasons (2006-12) with the team. His best season with the Panthers came in 2011, when he started all 16 games and posted a then franchise record 145 tackles, 1½ sacks, two interceptions, nine passes defensed and three fumble recoveries.
- Patriots WR Brandon LaFell was originally drafted by Carolina in the third round (78th overall) of the 2010 NFL Draft and played in 60 games with 36 starts over four seasons (2010-13) with the team. In 2013, he started all 16 regular season games and established career highs in receptions (49) and touchdowns (5) and compiled 627 receiving yards.
- Patriots special teams coach Scott O'Brien served as Carolina's assistant head coach/special teams from 1999-2004, presiding over a unit that produced 11 special teams touchdowns while allowing the lowest opponent kickoff return average (19.8) during that period. The Panthers also had a league-high six kickoff returns for touchdowns and were one of only two teams to not allow a kickoff return for a touchdown over that span.
- Patriots RB Tyler Gaffney was originally drafted by Carolina in the sixth round (204th overall) of the 2014 NFL Draft.
FORMER NFL TEAMMATES
- Patriots CB Darrelle Revis and Panthers WR Jerricho Cotchery were teammates on the New York Jets from 2007-10. Revis and Panthers WR Tiquan Underwood were teammates on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2013.
- Patriots DL Will Smith and Panthers S Roman Harper played together on the New Orleans Saints' defense from 2006-13.
- Patriots S Patrick Chung and Panthers WR Jason Avant played together on the Philadelphia Eagles in 2013.
- Patriots running backs coach Ivan Fears (wide receivers, 1993-98) served on the Chicago Bears' offensive coaching staff alongside Panthers offensive coordinator Mike Shula (tight ends, 1993-95). Fears also tutored Panthers wide receivers coach Ricky Proehl, who played for the Bears in 1997.
FORMER COLLEGE TEAMMATES
- Patriots LB Steve Beauharnais, S Duron Harmon, CB Logan Ryan and Panthers TE D.C. Jefferson were teammates at Rutgers from 2009-12. Patriots DB Devin McCourty was a senior at Rutgers in 2009 when all four players were incoming freshmen, and also was a teammate of Panthers WR Tiquan Underwood from 2006-08. Patriots coaching assistant Steve Belichick walked on the Rutgers football team as a long snapper in 2011 to prepare for a career in coaching.
- Patriots DL Vince Wilfork and Panthers quarterbacks coach Ken Dorsey were teammates at Miami (Fla.) from 2001-02, where they helped lead the Hurricanes to the 2001 National Championship.
- Patriots C Bryan Stork and Panthers WR Kelvin Benjamin were offensive teammates at Florida State from 20012-13, where they helped the Seminoles capture the 2013 BCS National Championship.
- Patriots CB Brandon Browner and Panthers DT Dwan Edwards were defensive teammates at Oregon State in 2003, when both were selected to the All-Pac 10 second team.
- Patriots DT Sealver Siliga (2008-10), DL L.T. Tuipulotu (2009-13) and Panthers DT Star Lotulelei (2009-12) played together along the defensive line for Utah.
- Patriots TE Rob Gronkowski and Panthers CB Antoine Cason were teammates at Arizona in 2007.
- Patriots RB Brandon Bolden and Panthers DE Greg Hardy were teammates at Mississippi from 2008-09.
- Patriots K Stephen Gostkowski and Panthers RB DeAngelo Williams were teammates for all four years of their college careers at Memphis from 2002-05.
- Patriots RB Stevan Ridley, WR Brandon LaFell and Panthers DT Drake Nevis were teammates at Louisiana State from 2007-09.
- Patriots tight ends coach Brian Daboll served as a volunteer assistant for William and Mary in 1997, when Panthers defensive coordinator Sean McDermott was finishing up his senior season as a safety on the team.
- Patriots S Patrick Chung and Panthers RB Jonathan Stewart were teammates at Oregon from 2005-07.
- Patriots tight end coach Brian Daboll served as Panthers QB Derek Anderson's offensive coordinator while with the Cleveland Browns in 2009.
- Patriots WR Jeremy Gallon, LB Cameron Gordon and Panthers DE Craig Roh were teammates at Michigan from 2009-12.
- Patriots RB James White and Panthers P Brad Nortman were teammates at Wisconsin from 2010-11.
- Patriots WR Josh Boyce (2010-12), OL Marcus Cannon (2006-10) and Panthers S Colin Jones (2006-10) were teammates at Texas Christian.
- Patriots S Kanorris Davis and Panthers DE Mario Addison were defensive teammates at Troy from 2009-10.
- Patriots RB Roy Finch and Panthers DE Frank Alexander were teammates at Oklahoma from 2010-11.
- Patriots P Ryan Allen and Panthers T Oscar Johnson were teammates at Louisiana Tech from 2011-12.
- Patriots CB Alfonzo Dennard and Panthers TE Mike McNeil were teammates at Nebraska from 2008-10.
- Patriots DL Marcus Forston and Panthers DT Micanor Regis played together along the defensive line at Miami (Fla.).
