FOXBOROUGH – The Patriots did not deserve to win this game, almost did, and in the end lost.
And it all falls on the defense, especially on the final drive of the game by the Carolina Panthers.
An afternoon of blown coverages and costly penalties came down to a 48-yard field goal attempt by Graham Gano, who had missed an extra point earlier in the game. Gano nailed the kick as time expired, giving the Panthers a 33-30 victory at Gillette Stadium on Sunday afternoon. The Patriot defense was completely to blame for this loss, and where Bill Belichick and Matt Patricia go from here is anyone’s guess.