Behind a potent defense both on air and ground, the Carolina Panthers have stringed up five straight wins to become one of the hottest teams in the league. On Monday Night Football, they look to continue the winning run when they face the New England Patriots, which are one of the best teams in the AFC.

The validity of the Panthers' winning run was question after they beat the Minnesota Vikings, 35-10; St. Louis Rams, 30-15; Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 31-13; and Atlanta Falcons, 34-10—lowly teams with a combined win-loss card of 10-30 or just 33.3 winning percentage.

But after their Week 10 road win against the San Francisco 49ers, the Panthers are starting to seriously turn some heads in the NFL. Carolina’s defense was again in full display in the 10-9 win limiting San Francisco to just 109 rushing yards. Before that game, SF averaged 147.7 yards on ground or 4th in the league.

Entering the Patriots contest, the Panthers limit opponents to 201.3 passing yards (5th in the NFL) and 82.0 rushing yards (2nd) per outing making them one of the toughest teams on defensive teams in the league on both categories.

Carolina’s D will again be tested against by the Patriots, which is 8th in the league in rushing yards per game (129.1) and has star quarterback Tom Brady.

Despite his 82.7 QB rating-- his lowest since his rookie year—Brady remains a threat under center. The 36-year-old is coming off a season-best 151.8 rating in the Patriots 55-31 win over the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 10.

Meanwhile, Newton has seven touchdowns and three interceptions in the Panthers' 5-win run but more importantly he is successfully mixing it up on both air and ground. In the last five he has completed 97-of-144 passes (67.4 per cent) and has 143 yards on 43 carries (or 3.4 yards per carry).

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Betting Against the Spread (ATS)
Betting Line: New England Patriots vs. Carolina Panthers (O/U:)

New England Patriots Trends
 - Patriots are 5-0 ATS in their last 5 games on Monday Night Football
- Patriots are 6-1 ATS in their last 7 games in November
- Patriots are 5-2 ATS in their last 7 games
- Patriots are 1-5 ATS in their last 6 games on the road

Carolina Panthers Trends
 - Panthers are 5-0 ATS in their last 5 games
- Panthers are 5-1 ATS in their last 6 games at home
- Panthers are 4-0 ATS in their last 4 games after a win
- Panthers are 5-2 ATS in their last 7 games in November