CHARLOTTE — Everything feels better coming off a win, including looking towards the next game. The Panthers turned their focus to the Patriots bright and early Tuesday morning, following a 30-0 win against the Falcons the previous week, and not wanting to rest on their laurels or overlook areas for improvement on the field. Still, the club wrapped up a week of practice on Friday that buzzed with energy all week.

"Great work by the guys," Canales bragged of his team on Friday, recapping the three days of preparation for the Patriots. "Focused, a lot of great energy out there, and the challenge again is show up on Sunday. Let's execute. Let's play our brand of football, and we're ready to go."

As the Panthers head up the East Coast to Massachusetts, it will be without four starters: tight end Ja'Tavion Sanders (ankle), receiver Xavier Legette (hamstring), and outside linebackers Patrick Jones II and D.J. Wonnum (both hamstring). It means other guys, particularly younger guys, will have to step up in their place. As Canales alluded to on Friday, this is what they were brought here to do.

"Execution," the coach said as to his mindset with so many starters out. "Whoever's out there, we're asking them to, first of all, send them our confidence that we trust you, we have you out here for a reason. You're on this team for a reason and just trying to give that energy to them. Whoever goes out there, we expect you to execute with the rest of the group."

With that in mind, here are five things to keep an eye on as the Panthers take on the Patriots in Week 4.

Getting to Drake Maye

The Charlotte native is playing his hometown team for the first time in his NFL career. Drake Maye came out of Week 3 in the Top 5 of passing in the league, with 785 yards and a 72.6 completion percentage. The latter is the third-highest in the NFL.

Maye made the Pro Bowl as a rookie, on a team that had four wins. It was largely because of his ability to distribute the ball accurately and keep his team in games. That has continued this year, with Maye being asked to throw his team back into games in which they've been down. Just over 41 percent of his passing yardage has come after the Patriots fell behind two scores.

The Patriots drafted left tackle Will Campbell at No. 4 overall this April to protect their quarterback, and he has helped fortify the line.

"Good team," noted outside linebacker Nic Scourton this week. "A lot of direct runs, you know, talented quarterback, obviously, they drafted Will Campbell. I've had competition against him in college."

The Panthers are currently last in the league in sacks, with just 1.0. Some of that is due to Kyler Murray being considered a runner even when brought down behind the line of scrimmage. But alas, there is only one sack in the column, and the unit is looking for more. Maye was sacked five times against the Steelers, but the Panthers are entering the game without Wonnum and Jones, which doesn't help.

To get coverage sacks will require locking up the Patriots' receivers, the top of which is tight end Hunter Henry. Running back Rhamondre Stevenson is third in receiving yardage, with Stefon Diggs tallying the fourth most receiving yards.

"It's you focusing on who the top players are, and you try to say, 'Hey, do we have the ability to cover that guy man-to-man, or do we need a real coverage over there? Do we need to do something different to affect them?' So that's what we try to do with each week," explained defensive coordinator Ejiro Evero.

"Even when you have a really good receiver like Mr. (Stefon) Diggs, for them, they'll line him up at No. 1, but they'll line them up at No. 2 and No. 3, where he ends up really essentially running some of those tight end type of routes. And so, we just have to do a good job of identifying the players that they're trying to feature, where the ball is going to probably be going, and making sure that we're on point in terms of our communications when those guys get to those spots."

On that note, Jaycee Horn has allowed a -26.6% completion percentage over expected, the second-lowest among outside cornerbacks (min. 10 targets).

Targeting the turnover margin

The Panthers talked a lot of turnovers this week, somewhat because they were the story of the win in Week 3, but also because they have the potential to be the story of Week 4 as well.

In the 30-0 win against the Falcons, Carolina finished 3-1 in the turnover margin. The Panthers' one turnover came on special teams, not on offense. Up in New England, the Patriots lost the turnover margin 5-2 in their 21-14 loss to the Steelers. Two of the five turnovers were in goal-to-go situations.

Dave Canales constantly harps to his team how it is all about the ball, and pointing out teams who win the turnover margin win the game 70-plus percent of the time. There is a discipline that comes with the approach, though, to protect from guys going after turnovers to the point of forgetting assignments.

"It's just built into how we practice, it's muscle memory," said Canales. "The first guy there for the tackle is making sure he's got his base in the right spot, that he's tackling with the right leverage, knowing where his help's at.

"And then we ask everyone showing up after that, we're attacking the football, and that's just a part of how we do it, how we practice, and the way we challenge them.

"The more opportunities you get on the ball, the more chances you have to create those, to get the ball on the ground. And it's not just that, though; it's the full team pursuit. Whether it's special teams or defense or even the offensive side, it's that full pursuit and energy towards the ball that if the ball does end up on the ground, do we have enough people around the pile to be able to capitalize."

Protecting Bryce Young

Bryce Young has only taken 5.0 sacks through three games, tied for the ninth-fewest in the league (minimum 50 pass attempts). He took only one against the Falcons, just a week after that unit had notched six on the Vikings. But now comes the Patriots, who are tied for seventh-most sacks in the league with 9.0 total. Granted, the New England defense did not tally any sacks against Aaron Rodgers last week. But the front headlined by Milton Williams and Christian Barmore is generating a ton of pressure.

According to Next Gen Stats, Williams has generated the third-most pressures (11) and Christian Barmore is tied with the fourth-most pressures (10) among defensive tackles this season, making them the only interior defensive line duo both ranked in the top seven in pressures. Williams has posted a 15.1percent pressure rate (fourth-highest among DTs, min. 50 pass rushes), which would be the highest pressure rate of his career. Additionally, linebacker Harold Landry III is tied for fifth-most sacks in the league with 3.5 total.

However, the Panthers' interior offensive line has protected Young, allowing a pressure rate of 4.5 percent, the sixth-lowest in the NFL.

Carolina can also negate some of the Patriots' pressure by leaning on the run game. Chuba Hubbard (calf) is listed as questionable, and if he is out, the offense will lean on Rico Dowdle and rookie Trevor Etienne. They will be facing a defense that has allowed only 60.3 yards per game on the ground, the second-fewest in the league, but has also struggled to get guys down.

According to Next Gen, the Patriots have recorded 35 missed tackles through three weeks this season (tied third-most) while posting a 17.8 percent missed tackle rate (third-highest). In Week 3 against the Steelers, the Patriots recorded 14 missed tackles and a 23.3 percent missed tackle rate, their highest single-game rate since Week 2, 2018.

Gonzalez vs. Panthers' receiving corps

The Patriots listed corner Christian Gonzalez as questionable for Sunday's game, but even that is progress. The All-Pro has not played yet this season, as he has been dealing with a hamstring injury suffered in training camp. He was able to return to practice last week, but did not play against the Steelers. He practiced all of this week, albeit in a limited capacity.

"I think he's continued to get into better condition," Vrabel told reporters on Friday. "We'll see how he responds from his speed work today, and then we'll make a decision that's best for him and best for the football team."

Without Gonzalez, the Patriots have given up the third-most passing yards per game through three weeks, allowing an average of 256.3 yards per game through the air. The unit has also given up the third-highest opponent completion percentage (74.2 percent) and yards per pass (8.8). Having him back on the field would inevitably change the look of the Patriots' defense.

"He's a really good player," said Canales of the corner this week. "He's got great size. He's got great speed. He's got instincts. He'll catch the ball if you throw it to him, so he's an awesome NFL player, and I'm sure they'd be excited to get him back out there."

The Panthers have spent the week preparing for both situations—Gonzalez playing or not—and dissecting the scheme and personnel.

"Oh yeah, for sure, we obviously have film with him in the game and with him not in the game, so we got to prepare for both," said rookie receiver Tetairoa McMillan. "Whether he's playing or not and regardless of if he's playing or not, you know, we want to go out there and get a W."

McMillan is also listed as questionable for the Panthers with a calf, and practiced Thursday and Friday as a limited participant. If McMillan, who is leading all rookie receivers (and 15th in the league) with 216 yards, does play, he's excited about the possibility of facing another first-rounder.

"They got some veteran guys and also some young guys," said McMillan. "We'll see what happens with, obviously, their star guy in Christian Gonzalez, so, you know, I'm always looking for that kind of competition."

Veteran David Moore has seen his snaps increase with Legette and Jalen Coker (IR) both working back from respective injuries. As the elder statesman in the room and someone who has been in the league for nine years now, he's seen it all. Gonzalez's status won't change that.

"I don't change nothing," Moore said of his prep this week. "I look at it as if, you know, we're playing NFL, so everybody in the NFL can play, and it doesn't matter who the star guy is. I just think, you know, we're going out there to play football, beat the man across from me, and just continue to do it play after play."

Game planning for "dirty kicks"

Mike Vrabel was blatantly honest this week. The Panthers' kickoff strategy, led by Ryan Fitzgerald, has been the source of extensive film study in Foxborough this week. The Patriots coach complimented the unique look as a "dirty kick," meaning the ball bounces around on the ground in unexpected ways.

"It's impressive. I sat there and looked at it for two hours last night," Vrabel said earlier this week. "I mean, impressive. They've got good players, they've got great speed, they change the scheme up on you.

"It starts with the kicker. He kicks a good kick—dirty kick. He's had the returner sometimes confused. When he kicks them deep, they're right at the goal line, forcing you to return them... We'll have to be prepared for that."

Vrabel went on to clarify the dirty kick meant "sometimes it one-hops and they can return it, sometimes it kicks and goes sideways and we'll have to be prepared for that wherever they kick it."

The knuckleball-kickoff has been a massive plus for the Panthers through three weeks. Opponents have the average worst starting field position in the NFL, at the 21.1-yard line. Special teams coordinator Tracy Smith spent a good portion of his press conference this week explaining that the Panthers' strategy was week-to-week.

"There's no such thing as an everlasting schematic advantage in the NFL," said Smith. "People watch what you do, so you have to keep going. You watch what other teams do, and you're just coming up with the best plan for that week. So you're trying to win that game, whatever is possible."

The Patriots have a weapon of their own in Antonio Gibson. The kickoff returner has the fifth-best return average in the league so far, bringing the ball out 29.4 yards per return. He has also returned one for a touchdown already this season.

"He has seen everything that they returned," noted Smith of Gibson. "He was a primary returner for them a year ago, has been a good returner in the past of the old kickoff scheme, the new kickoff scheme, really talented guy that you have to get his momentum stopped because he will run through and break tackles, always been an issue there.

"They have two very good returners on kickoff to handle that. There's so many factors in feeling the ball as far as you have 53 yards of width, you have 20 yards of depth to put this ball in any of those places. There's no way to see every person react to every kick before you get there, so you're just trying to do whatever you can do best and play it that way."