The New York Jets will head on the road to face the Carolina Panthers this Sunday in week one of the NFL regular season. The Panthers’ new QB Sam Darnold will get to face off against his replacement, the number two selection in the 2021 NFL Draft, Zach Wilson.
The Jets made some big moves in the offseason. They brought in Corey Davis to be Wilson’s number one option, after Davis set career highs in both receptions (92) and yards (984) in 2020. They added Alijah-Vera Tucker to play alongside the mountain of a left tackle Mekhi Becton. Their success will all hinge on how well rookie Zach Wilson does bringing the offense together. They do not have any stars at the skill positions, so they will need Wilson to elevate the unit. On defense there are plenty of question marks. They did not bring in any help to a young cornerback room that struggled in 2020. They are banking on their young talent to take a big leap in this new scheme. Huge free agent signing Carl Lawson will be out for the season after a torn Achilles, so they are hoping the newly acquired Shaq Lawson can help bolster a defensive front that ranked near the middle of the pack with 31 sacks in 2020.
The Panthers traded for Jets QB Sam Darnold in the offseason, hoping he be an improvement over Teddy Bridgewater. He will have a better supporting cast in Carolina, with the return of all-world running back Christian McCaffrey and being reunited with his former top target in New York, Robby Anderson. Anderson led the team with 95 receptions a year ago. Offensive line was an issue a year ago, which is why they drafted Brady Christensen with their third-round selection. Despite the addition, PFF grades out all their starters in the bottom tier of the NFL. Defensively they added CB Jaycee Horn with the 8th overall pick to help boost their secondary. They ranked 18th in 2020 with 25.1 points allowed per game.
New York is 6-4 ATS in their last 10 games, 2-8 on the money line, and the under is 7-3.
Carolina is 7-3 ATS in their last 10 games, 2-8 on the money line, and the under is 5-5.
The Jets have very low expectations heading into this season but have potential to take a big step forward under Robert Saleh. Their front seven was their best unit in 2020, and they will have C.J. Mosley back at middle linebacker. Sam Darnold has yet to prove he is worthy of a starting job in the NFL, so despite a solid preseason expect the Panthers to lean on the run game in game one. The Jets did a respectable job against the run in 2020, ranking 12th in rushing yardage. There is enough speed on this defense to slow down McCaffrey, so expect the Jets new scheme to make things difficult for the Panthers in week one. This will be a close game, with the Jets doing enough to bang out a cover.
AUTHOR: Joe Bonomo
