The Carolina Panthers have requested to play the New England Patriots in the preseason, so that the two teams can conduct joint practices prior to the game, according to ESPN’s Mike Reiss and The Athletic’s Joseph Person.
The Panthers are coming off a 5-12 season. Carolina struggled over their final seven games in particular, losing all contests. The Patriots lost to the Panthers by a 10-3 margin on August 22, 2019, the last time these two teams met in the preseason.
Panthers head coach Matt Rhule confirmed Tuesday that his team was in talks for joint practices with the Patriots.
“I think any time you have a chance to work against another team, it’s great. But especially that team. The way they do everything — their detail,” Rhule said, via ESPN’s Mike Reiss. “And then running the ball against them; they’re physical up front, they have a really good defensive line. They have veteran players. They know how to practice. So, we’ll take it for kind of a road trip, a little bit of team bonding.”
Something to look forward to this summer: As first reported by @josephperson, the Panthers and Patriots have requested to play in the preseason so they can practice together beforehand.
Panthers coach Matt Rhule on why he hopes to bring his team to Foxborough: pic.twitter.com/yAkrQ2BEHD
— Mike Reiss (@MikeReiss) March 29, 2022
The New England Patriots have held joint practices with other teams over the past couple of years. Last year, the organization held practices with the New York Giants.
Heading into the 2020 season, both teams will look to improve upon 2021 campaigns, with each team trending in different directions.
