The Patriots firmly believed they were better than what they showed at the beginning of the season when they started off 1-3 and lost four straight games at home to open the season.
They’re starting to prove themselves right.
New England thrashed the Carolina Panthers on the ground and had Sam Darnold seeing ghosts of seasons’ past during a dominating 24-6 road victory — the Patriots’ third consecutive win and fourth straight road win to open the year.
It wasn’t exactly the ultra-efficient beatdown New England authored against the New York Jets or the rousing win last week against the Los Angeles Chargers.