When Christian Barmore was diagnosed with blood clots, sidelining him indefinitely, the New England Patriots were forced to find a way to move forward without their best defensive lineman. Replacing a player of this caliber cannot be a one-man job, but rather puts pressure on the collective to step up its game.
On Thursday night against the Carolina Panthers, the group did just that. While the 17-3 preseason game needs to be taken with a sizable grain of salt — the Panthers rested most of their starters, there was no game-planning involved, etc. — New England’s defensive line performed at a high level throughout and dominated both versus the pass and the run.