Eight year vet and two-time All Pro safety Roman Harper is doubtful. The Panthers want to see less scrambling from Cam Newton who is expected to play at least the first half.

Carolina head coach Ron Rivera plan against the Chiefs was to treat it like the third preseason game when coaches normally play their starters for three quarters. His reasoning was the team has a short week to prepare for New England, and the bodies may not have recovered enough for maximum effort.

Bill Belichick is always in regular season form, much more secretive about preseason plans than most coaches. But Tom Brady comments and Belichick history indicate the starters will play into the third quarter.