Panthers’ Dave Canales shares what impressed him about Patriots after film review

In a battle of 1-2 teams, the Carolina Panthers face the New England Patriots on Sunday.

Sep 21, 2025; Charlotte, North Carolina, USA; Carolina Panthers head coach Dave Canales on the sidelines in the fourth quarter at Bank of America Stadium. | Bob Donnan-Imagn Images

Every two loss team in the NFL understands the pressure of Week 4. It's an opportunity to get back to .500 and get the fans re-energized for the year. It's no different for the Carolina Panthers.

The 1-2 Panthers take on the fellow 1-2 New England Patriots on Sunday. Carolina is coming off of a shutout win over the Atlanta Falcons that juiced up the home crowd. Unfortunately, Dave Canales' squad won't have the advantage of the Bank of America crowd on Sunday as they travel to Foxborough.

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Sep 21, 2025; Charlotte, North Carolina, USA; Carolina Panthers running back Chuba Hubbard (30) carries the ball during the second half against the Atlanta Falcons at Bank of America Stadium. | Cory Knowlton-Imagn Images

From what Canales has seen of Mike Vrabel's first-year Patriots so far, he's expecting a well-executed game, at least as far as fundamentals are concerned.

"Respect for Coach Vrabel, I know that he's going to have his guys ready to play good fundamental football," Canales said. "Other than a couple turnovers last week, from the film that I watched, they're playing really sound football. And I know that's what he's going to bring to that team.

"I can't wait to dig in more this afternoon and evening to see specifically what that looks like. I thought they played the Steelers really tough."

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New England Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel watches from the sideline against the Miami Dolphins during the first quarter at Hard Rock Stadium. | Sam Navarro-Imagn Images

The Patriots are coming off of a one-score loss against the Pittsburgh Steelers after beating the Miami Dolphins in a shoot out in Week 2 and losing to Las Vegas in a one-score game in Week 1.

Despite their record, the Patriots have been competitive each week, and Canales is expecting the same on Sunday. The Panthers are 4.5-point underdogs against the New England squad that ranks seventh in passing yards, 19th in rushing yards and 17th in overall defense.

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