The New England Patriots at long last are back to full defensive strength ahead of a gotta-have-it Week 4 game with the Carolina Panthers.

Mot notably, lockdown cornerback Christian Gonzalez is good to go for the first time this season. Gonzalez missed the first three games of the season with a hamstring injury he suffered in July, but after another week of practice, he’s back in the fold for Mike Vrabel’s team.

It will be interesting to monitor the 23-year-old’s workload, though. Clearly, his injury took longer to heal than expected, and it’s the sort of injury that can be reaggravated. He’ll also be tested right away against Tetaroia McMillan, the Panthers’ star receiver Carolina drafted with the No. 8 pick in the 2025 NFL Draft. McMillan, dealing with a calf issue of his own, has been as advertised through three weeks.

Here’s the Patriots’ official list of inactives for Week 4:

Patriots OL Rookie Down for Week 4

While the Patriots are at full strength on the defensive side of the ball, there is one offensive injury that could loom large. Offensive guard Jared Wilson, who handled his own against a terrific Steelers defensive front last week, is down with ankle and knee injuries. Wilson, a third-round pick earlier this spring out of Georgia, has been rock solid so far as part of the revamped New England offensive line.

Through three weeks as a pro, Wilson had taken 100% of the offensive snaps.

His absence likely means Ben Brown will get the call, and New England also added some veteran O-line depth this week ahead of the Carolina game. Regardless, the Panthers on paper don’t look capable of making that absence hurt; the Panthers come into the game ranked 28th in pass-rush win rate and 30th in run-stuff win rate.

The Patriots also avoided further O-line problems with veteran offensive guard Mike Onwenu getting the green light despite being limited in practice with a shoulder injury.

Patriots Trying to Buck Betting Trend

Oddsmakers certainly expect the Patriots to get off the mat against Bryce Young and the Panthers. The Patriots are 5.5-point favorites at FanDuel Sportsbook. If it feels like that’s a lot, that’s because it is, at least in the recent history of New England. The Patriots haven’t been a favorite of five points or more since Oct. 24, 2022, against the Chicago Bears. New England got run out of the building on “Monday Night Football” to the tune of 33-14. The Patriots haven’t been a good bet as a home favorite over the last few years. New England has failed to cover in its last five games as a home favorite, outright losing the last four.

Coincidentally, the under has hit in four of those five games, too. The total for Patriots-Panthers is set at 43.5.