Can the Panthers Make it Three in a Row?

by Sharon Thorsland

The Panthers are looking to do something they haven’t done in a long time – win three straight games. That last happened in 2015, but they’ve got a great chance to do it this Sunday when they take on the winless Jets in East Rutherford. The Jets are 0-6 on the season after managing just 82 yards of offense in last week’s loss to the Broncos. The Panthers are coming off back-to-back home wins over Miami and Dallas and are now 3-3 on the season.

So, what’s been the problem in New York? The Jets are working with their third head coach in the past five seasons, with former Lions defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn now in charge. The Jets also have a new quarterback, with Justin Fields running the offense. Things aren’t going so well though – the Jets are managing an NFL-worst 144 passing yards per game, and Fields has thrown just four touchdowns on the season. And now he’s likely down his top receiver as star Garrett Wilson is dealing with a knee injury. But Fields has one thing that makes him very dangerous – he can run. Fields has rushed for 235 yards and three touchdowns on the season and that adds another challenge for this Panther defense. “Any quarterback that can run makes it hard on a defense cause you gotta play like the third play,” said Panther corner-back Mike Jackson. “The first play might just be a regular pass concept, then he scrambles, and now he’s done run past the line of scrimmage. And now everybody has to try to rally to him and make a tackle because at that point he’s just an open field running back.”

The Jets also have an excellent running back in Breece Hall, who combines with Fields to form the NFL’s 5th leading rushing attack at 136 yards per game. The good news is, the Panthers have been playing really good defense the past few weeks and now rank 9th in the league allowing just 94 rushing yards per game.

A familiar face directs the Jets defense – former Panthers defensive coordinator and interim coach Steve Wilks. His group is having a hard time stopping teams, though, ranking 20th in the NFL in total defense and 28th in points allowed, and have just one takeaway. Star defensive tackle Quinnen Williams anchors the front line, with Jermaine Johnson and Will McDonald on the edge. McDonald had 10.5 sacks last season and has two so far this year. The secondary features All-Pro corner-back and former defensive rookie of the year Sauce Gardner. The Panthers offense gets a boost this week as running back Chuba Hubbard and receiver Jalen Coker are both set to be back in the lineup. Hubbard joins Rico Dowdle in what has been a smoking hot backfield, as Dowdle has rushed for 389 yards in the past two games. It will be interesting to see how coach Dave Canales uses the pair moving forward.

After winning all three of their home contests this season, the Panthers are looking to match that success on the road, where they are currently winless. It might seem like this Jets team offers the perfect scenario, but no one is taking them lightly. “Teams like that, they’re gonna be fighting to get that first win,” said Dowdle. “And we definitely don’t want to be the ones to give it to them. We just got to come in prepared – you can’t sleep on them for sure.”