It was another slow start for the Patriots at Gillette Stadium in Week 4, hosting the Carolina Panthers for the first time since 2017. But New England was able to get on track to put together a 42-13 blowout win for the first victory of the season at home. It also marked just the fourth win at Gillette Stadium since the start of the 2023 season and their largest blowout victory since 2022.
This victory was a complete and total team effort in all three phases of the game, and it was truly great to see happen for the Patriots on their home field, as there haven’t been too many great games played in Gillette Stadium over the last few years.
This game also served as an important way for the team to honor defensive coordinator Terrell Williams, who was diagnosed with prostate cancer earlier this week. The Patriots wore T Strong shirts in his honor during pregame.
Here are six takeaways from the Patriots’ first win of the season at home in Week 4.
Efficient Drake Maye
Drake Maye finished the first half with eight straight completions for 95 yards after he started the game 0-for-1. He had total command of the offense, and it’s getting stronger as he continues to understand the new playbook.
There were a few throws from Maye that showed a sign of positive growth in this offense and as a QB in the NFL. He finished the game 14-of-17 for 203 yards and two touchdowns; he also had 11 rushing yards with a touchdown.
Maye took what the defense gave him and went with it. He didn’t force any passes, and he checked down to his tight ends and running backs when he needed to, and he didn’t have any turnovers after he had two last week.
The big pass was at the end of the third quarter on a pass to Stefon Diggs down the right sideline for a 30-yard gain to land at the Carolina three-yard line to lead to a touchdown to start the fourth quarter to really push their lead at the end of the game.
Maye had completions of 33 yards (Diggs), 31 yards (Henry), 24 yards (Hooper), and 18 yards (Boutte).
I thought it was noticeable that Maye only had three rushes in the game after having 17 over the last two weeks. He entered this week tied as the leading rusher on the team with 87 yards. It’s great to see Maye step in the pocket to deliver passes to his receivers rather than ducking and running more often than not.
This was a great, clean game from Maye in Week 4.
Run-Game
After Rhamondre Stevenson fumbled the ball twice in Week 3, the Patriots opened Week 4 by handing it off to Stevenson on the first play of the game. He was criticized throughout the week after he fumbled for the ninth time in his last 18 games, dating back to last season.
New England finished the game with 104 rushing yards, which is the third consecutive game totaling over 100 yards on the ground. It’s still a balanced attack in terms of distribution, but it’s getting the job done and helping Maye have a more structured offense.
- Rhamondre Stevenson: 9 carries, 38 yards
- TreVeyon Henderson: 7 carries, 32 yards, 1 TD
- Antonio Gibson: 6 carries, 27 yards, 1 TD
- Drake Maye: 3 carries, 11 yards, 1 TD
There was a moment in the game before halftime where the Patriots were pinned down at their own goal line, and I thought that it was noticeable that it was Gibson in the game to carry the ball out of the end zone. Although it was made a big deal that Stevenson fumbled twice last week, and it is, Gibson also fumbled in that game.
Wide Receiver Usage
The production from the wide receivers have been spotty through the first four weeks of the season with Kayshon Boutte (165 yards) and Stefon Diggs (213 yards) as the only legitimate contributors of the group right now.
Week 4 saw eight completions on 11 targets to the wide receivers, with Diggs leading the group with six receptions for 101 yards. He caught a big 33-yard pass at the end of the third quarter to put the Patriots in the red zone, which eventually led to a touchdown.
DeMario Douglas saw his snaps decrease and his role limited after a misstep in the fourth quarter of Week 3 that ended a possible game-winning drive against the Steelers.
New England only had five wide receivers active in this game, and they all saw action, but it was only three who received targets.
- Stefon Diggs: 7
- Kayshon Boutte: 3
- Mack Hollins: 1
Christian Gonzalez's Debut
Christian Gonzalez finally made his season debut after a long-awaited time managing the hamstring injury he received on Jul. 28 in practice. He had a major responsibility right out of the gate of being the primary defender on the top rookie WR Tetairoa McMillan.
In his first game action, Gonzalez completely shut down the rookie WR for Carolina in a dominant fashion.
- 3 targets
- 2 receptions
- 31 yards
- 3 tackles
Gonzalez looks smooth and ready to perform at a high level after returning from the hamstring injury that kept him sidelined for over two months.
Strong Defense
The Patriots defense played so well that the Panthers benched QB Bryce Young in the fourth quarter, with the game being out of reach at 42-6.
It was backup linebacker Jack Gibbens who led the team with 12 tackles. He had a beautiful play in the first quarter to make a tackle in the backfield as he went right through the offense, showing his speed and vision to make the play.
Robert Spillane followed up his big game last week with another 10-tackle performance, and Christian Elliss was right behind him with nine.
The defense didn’t have any turnovers, but they did force Carolina to have three turnovers on downs, which isn’t going to show on the box score in that manner.
A play in the second quarter stands out to me, but you won’t see it on the box score. It was Anfernee Jennings and K’Lavon Chaisson closing in on the QB from the edge, and allowed Milton Williams to charge through the middle to panic Bryce Young, which led to him tripping himself and getting a sack.
Marcus Jones
Marcus Jones has been electric on special teams in his career, and he reminded everyone of that this week with a big game as the punt returner. He had three returns for 167 yards and a touchdown, with an 87-yard return for a touchdown.
Jones broke and set a Patriots franchise record for the most punt return yards in a game since 1976.
- Marcus Jones, 167 yards (3 returns), 2025
- Mike Haynes, 156 yards (4 returns), 1976
On top of being a standout punt returner, Jones plays 100 percent of the defensive snaps in most games as the slot cornerback, defending the opposing team’s most dynamic receivers.
Jones, a team captain, has shown to be one of the most consistent players on the team so far this season.