The surprising Carolina Panthers are the class of the NFL against classy competition, with a perfect 4-0 record vs. quality opponents and a league-best plus-5.5 point per game differential in those contests.
But don’t count out the Patriots just yet, even in the wake of their injury-plagued, referee-marred 30-24 loss to the Broncos.
The Pats are second only to Carolina with a .750 win percentage against quality opponents (3-1), and their plus-3.8 differential against quality teams is third in the NFL. The Cold, Hard Football Facts define a quality opponent as any team that currently has a winning record.