The Carolina Panthers faced a tough defeat against the New England Patriots, losing 42-13 after initially taking the lead with a 7-yard touchdown pass from Bryce Young to Tommy Tremble. This marked Tremble’s first touchdown of the year and the only highlight for the Panthers in the game. The Patriots responded with a dominating performance, including an 87-yard punt return touchdown by Marcus Jones and a touchdown run by former UNC star Drake Maye, who celebrated with a Cam Newton-style endzone dance. The Panthers will host the Miami Dolphins next Sunday.
In other NFL action, the Pittsburgh Steelers secured a 24-21 victory over the Minnesota Vikings in Dublin, Ireland, with Aaron Rodgers connecting with DK Metcalf for an 80-yard touchdown. Meanwhile, the Atlanta Falcons defeated the New Orleans Saints 34-27, with Marcus Mariota stepping up in place of the injured Jayden Daniels.
In high school football, the Shrine Bowl of the Carolinas rosters were announced by Tarboro head coach Jeff Craddock. The roster includes three teams and four players from Eastern North Carolina, including Tarboro’s Kameron McDowell Moore and Tyler Powell, Havelock’s Christopher Bispham, and Kinston’s Brennan Chambers. The game is scheduled for Dec. 20 at 1 p.m. at Spartanburg High School in South Carolina.
In college football, former White Oak star Kahmari Brown recorded his third sack of the season and seven tackles in the Phoenix’s 41-20 win over Hampton. NC State suffered a 23-21 loss to Virginia Tech, marking back-to-back defeats for the Wolfpack. They will host Campbell next Saturday at 2 p.m.
In the CFL, former ECU Pirate Tyler Snead had an impressive performance for Montreal, with eight receptions for 115 yards in the Alouettes’ 38-20 win over Calgary. Snead is just 20 yards shy of his first 1,000-yard season.
In NASCAR, Chase Elliott clinched a thrilling victory in Kansas, overtaking Bubba Wallace and Denny Hamlin in the final lap to win the final round of 12 playoff race. The round of 8 begins next Sunday at the Charlotte Motor Speedway.