CHARLOTTE — Now that it's July, we're officially in the ramp-up to training camp and the start of the 2025 season.

So now's a good time to catch up with the Panthers' opponents this year and see what they've done this offseason to impact this year's matchup.

We'll go through these in order, so stay tuned for our breakdowns of the whole schedule.

OPPONENT: New England Patriots

When: Week 4 at New England (Sept. 28 at 1pm)

All-time series: The Panthers led the series 4-3. (Series is tied 2-2 in Charlotte, Panthers lead 2-1 in Foxboro). Panthers trail 0-1 in postseason, but who can remember really?

Last meeting: These two teams only saw each other during the preseason last year. The last time they faced off in the regular season is 2021, when the Patriots won 24-6. Of course the most famous matchup between the two was in Super Bowl XXXVIII following the 2003 season. Tom Brady got the ball last and won, 32-29.

Carolina did beat Brady in a Week 2 matchup during the 2005 season. Stephen Davis ran for three touchdowns that day and the Panthers defense kept Brady in duress all game, with two sacks, an interception, and a fumble recovered by Julius Peppers, who almost caught a pass that day.

2024 rankings and results

Record: 4-13

Total offense: 31st

Total defense: 22nd

Personnel moves

Key additions in free agency: WR Stefon Diggs, DT Milton Williams, CB Carlton Davis, LB Harold Landry, WR Mack Hollins, C Garrett Bradbury.

Key additions in the draft: OT Will Campbell, RB TreVeyon Henderson, WR Kyle Williams, C Jared Wilson, S Craig Woodson, DT Joshua Farmer, DE Bradyn Swinson, K Andres Borregales, OT Marcus Bryant, LS Julian Ashby, CB Kobee Minor.

Changes from last year: The Patriots stumbled through their first season without Bill Belichick, starting 1-6, and ending 1-6 as well, that final win coming against a Bills team who sat their starters. Quarterback and Charlotte-native Drake Maye was sacked 34 times last season, so the Patriots went out this offseason and found protection for their former first-round pick. After picking up Bradbury in free agency, the club drafted Will Campbell No. 4 overall in April. And after a season when the offense finished second to last in the league, Robert Kraft wanted more firepower on the outside. He got it with Stefon Diggs and Mack Hollins.

The Patriots won one of the biggest sweepstakes in free agency, bringing in Milton Williams to beef up the defensive line.

Head coach Jerod Mayo was fired following the regular season finale, ending his one-season with his former team. Kraft brought in another former player, Mike Vrabel, to try again to replace Belichick. Vrabel has former head coaching experience. He was with the Tennessee Titans from 2018-2023, going 54-45 in that time, making the playoffs three times. The Patriots also returned Josh McDaniels. The former Las Vegas Raiders head coach, who took 2024 off after being fired in 2023, is back in New England for his third stint as the offensive coordinator.

What to watch for in 2025: For the first time since 2002, the Patriots don't have a player with a Super Bowl ring on the roster. It's a young team, under a new head coach, coming off a year in which they did not live up to the normal expectations in Foxboro.

Now, they'll try to coalesce this receiving corps, an updated offensive line, and a new coordinator/play caller with a second-year quarterback in Maye. How long it takes those four pieces to come together and find their groove could have a big impact on what team the Panthers face in Week 4.