4 crucial matchups to watch during Panthers vs. the Patriots in Week 9

Mac Jones vs. Stephon Gilmore – Carolina Panthers CB

Stephon Gilmore sure made his presence felt in his Carolina Panthers debut. Locking down whoever the veteran corner was lined up against and hauling in a game-sealing interception to boot.

This is the kind of thing the team desperately needed since the season-ending injury to rookie sensation Jaycee Horn and the trade for CJ Henderson hasn’t exactly panned out as yet.

There will be an added motivation come Sunday for the former NFL Defensive Player of the Year as he will line up against the team that brought him his sole Super Bowl ring and the rookie quarterback hoping to lead them into the future.

Much has been said about the Panthers’ decision to pass up on signal-callers like Mac Jones and Justin Fields, and for good reason.

While Fields has had a tough sled, Jones has been a steady presence under center for the New England Patriots.

Throwing out a disappointing performance against the New Orleans Saints where the young quarterback had only one touchdown to go with three picks, Jones has consistently put his team in a position to win games and has not made the habit of actively losing them either.

The only real knock in his game has been a tendency to overthrow intermediate targets. Something Jones did on multiple occasions in Week 8.

This kind of middle ground inaccuracy is dangerous, as both Gilmore and Shaq Thompson showed last Sunday.

Jones is an incredibly accurate quarterback so the opportunities for a big play will be few and far between. However, Gilmore has shown the ability to read a veteran quarterback and jump routes for years in the league.

It will be interesting to see the chess match play out between the veteran corner and the first-year quarterback.