Five New England Patriots players finished with PFF grades of 80 or higher on Sunday against the Carolina Panthers.

New England Patriots – Defensive Tackle Christian Barmore | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

The New England Patriots dominated the Carolina Panthers this weekend, scoring six touchdowns in a 42-13 win. They also broke a season record in the game: five players recorded overall PFF grades of 80 or better, previously their most was four in a Week 2 win against the Dolphins.

There’s no doubt the team needed to be firing on all cylinders to get back on track after a dismal Week 3 loss, and fire they were. Four players graded out over the 85 mark, considered to be elite performance from PFF.

While they’ll need some luck to beat the Bills on Sunday Night Football on Sunday, they’ll also need these players to continue their stellar performances.

PFF grades five Patriots exceedingly well against the Carolina Panthers

Mike Onwenu – 86.5

The Patriots’ offensive line had its best week in Week 4, as the Panthers’ defense registered only one sack. Despite their 1-3 start, the defensive front the Panthers have is nothing to scoff at. Derrick Brown and Tershawn Wharton are an excellent duo along the interior, and rookies Nic Scourton and Princely Umanmielen are hyped rookie edge rushers.

Mike Onwenu led the charge for the line with yet another very consistent game, building on his very solid 2025. His play at guard has been the only real consistency over the past few seasons, as he’s the only 2024 starter still part of the starting five.

Christian Barmore – 85.9

After playing only two games last year, it was nice to see Christian Barmore wreak havoc once again on the interior. Milton Williams has justifiably gotten most of the support for his tremendous efforts as the highest-paid Patriot in history, but Barmore was excellent on Sunday and graded out to be PFF’s second-highest graded player on the roster.

Stefon Diggs – 85.7

After a mild first few weeks, Stefon Diggs finally popped against Carolina, recording his first 100-yard game. His six catches also led the team, as he accounted for half of Maye’s passing yards. Now that the team can hopefully rely on him over Kayshon Boutte as the consistent WR1.

While the LSU alum has shown flashes, his long-term role is likely that of a deep threat despite his high snap counts. Great to see a high-ticket item perform.

Dell Pettus – 85.6

After playing just 12 snaps through the first three weeks, former Troy safety Dell Pettus notched 18 defensive snaps in Week 4. Jaylinn Hawkins and Craig Woodson are the clear starters, but Kyle Dugger and Pettus each saw a major uptick in snaps this past week.

With this performance, expect the 2024 UDFA to see the field even more next week.

Robert Spillane – 81.1

Spillane has been about what fans should have expected since arriving in the northeast from Las Vegas: he’s an excellent run defender and a poor coverage linebacker. His PFF grades show that, with an overall grade of 83.2, he ranks 11th among linebackers. His 31.2 coverage grade sets him at 113th.

This past week, he graded out to have a 70+ grade in both run defense and in coverage for the first time since Week 11 of last year, when he was still with the Raiders. With the liability that is Christian Elliss (PFF’s second-worst linebacker) alongside him, Spillane needs to continue his sound play, especially in the run game.