Many counted out the New England Patriots following their 2-4 start to the campaign. But after two straight victories, the Patriots will have a golden opportunity to move over the .500 mark with a win against the Carolina Panthers in Week 9.

The Patriots are just coming off of their third road victory of the season, as they took care of business in Week 8 with a 27-24 win over the Los Angeles Chargers. The Patriots offense did not orchestrate a standout performance, but it was rather the defense that stepped up to the occasion thanks to the three sacks and two interceptions recorded.

Now, a road victory over the Panthers for the Patriots could be a season-changing one, but they must go on to achieve each of these four feats in order to come away from the game with a win.

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4. Jalen Mills posts a bounce-back performance in coverage

Not much has gone Jalen Mills' way in both his first season with the Patriots and his return to the cornerback position.

Mills has allowed a passer rating of 122.6 while in coverage as the nearest defender this year, which is the highest among all Patriots defensive backs. More so, he has also allowed four passing touchdowns in coverage and all of them have come in New England's last four games, which include Dallas Cowboys wideout CeeDee Lamb's game-winning receiving touchdown in Week 5.

Now, a major test awaits Mills in Week 9 as he will meet D.J. Moore and Carolina's potent wide receiver corps. It is not known whether Mills will be called on to contain Moore, especially as cornerback J.C. Jackson was limited in practice this week due to illness.

Regardless of his matchup in the contest, Mills must showcase to the Patriots coaching staff that he can be relied on in coverage in pivotal games.

3. Matt Judon continues his standout season

Matt Judon came into the season with plenty of high expectations after joining the Patriots in the offseason on a four-year deal worth $54.5 million. So far, Judon has certainly lived up to the hype over his early run in New England.

Judon currently leads the Patriots in sacks (8.0), quarterback hits (15) and tackles for loss (nine). The veteran linebacker has garnered much attention from opposing quarterbacks on the field, and he still has managed to cause havoc on a game-by-game basis this season.

Look for Judon to shine for New England in Week 9 against the Panthers. This is a Panthers offensive line that has allowed 21 sacks this season, which is tied with the Cincinnati Bengals and the Green Bay Packers for the fourth-most in the league.

More so, Judon is also two sacks away from becoming the first Patriots player since Chandler Jones in 2013 (11.5) to record at least 10.0 sacks in a season.

2. Damien Harris shines with a 100-plus rushing yards game

The Panthers rush defense so far has had its fair share of ups and downs. The Panthers do currently rank 14th in the NFL in rushing yards allowed per game with a 106.8 average, but they have only allowed 100-plus rushing yard games to two players this year in both Dallas Cowboys running back Ezekiel Elliott (143 in Week 4) and Minnesota Vikings running back Dalvin Cook (140 in Week 6).

Look for Patriots running back Damien Harris to join this list in Week 9, which then would be the fourth 100-plus rushing yards game of his campaign.

From his sheer strength coupled with his under-the-radar agility in the open field, Harris should have his way against the Panthers' front seven unit.

1. Patriots move to 4-0 on the road

For a team that has a rookie quarterback under center coupled with the multitude of new players on both sides of the ball, not many expected to see the Patriots boast a 3-0 record on the road at this point in the season. But this is what has transpired so far in the campaign; they have picked up convincing road wins against the New York Jets, Houston Texans and Los Angeles Chargers.

Mac Jones and company will now have a major opportunity to notch their fourth road win of the year with a victory over the Panthers. This is a Panthers team that strung together four straight losses earlier this season, but then came away with a key road win against the Atlanta Falcons in Week 8.

As mentioned, a win in this game for the Patriots would provide them with a winning record for the first time in the campaign. Thus, they surely can not waste such a golden opportunity to possibly move into the AFC playoff picture.