The Jets‘ sadness continues for their fans
A game where both teams struggled to score points, the Panthers (4-3) registered six sacks, and that helped them defeat the Jets (0-7) 13-6 on a 70-degree day at MetLife Stadium.
With 4:41 remaining and down 13-6, the Jets had one last opportunity to tie or win the game in regulation. But Tyrod Taylor, who came in for Justin Fields after halftime, threw his second interception to Jaycee Horn at the Panthers’ 40-yard line.
But the Panthers punted after they went three and out, which gave the Jets another chance with 2:49 remaining. Taylor, however, was sacked on first down, and his pass on third down to Josh Reynolds was incomplete. Gang Green then punted on their own 14-yard line.
Panthers quarterback Bryce Young left the game in the third quarter due to an ankle injury and was replaced by Andy Dalton, who completed 4-of-7 passes for 60 yards in relief.
Jets head coach Aaron Glenn benched Fields for Taylor to begin the second half, which the half-filled fans in attendance at MetLife Stadium cheered. Following his 45-yard passing performance against the Broncos last weekend, Fields had another inept performance on Sunday against the Panthers. Gang Green had -10 net passing yards in the loss to Denver.
In the first half, Fields completed 6-of-12 passes for 46 yards. The Jets registered just 25 net passing yards during the first 30 minutes.
Glenn said last week he wouldn’t bench Fields over just one poor performance, but did say the fifth-year quarterback’s play took a step back against the Broncos. But Fields’ play has been dreadful during the first seven games of the season.
The Jets signed Fields to a two-year, $40 million contract with $30 million in guarantees in hopes that he could be the next quarterback to revitalize his career in a different location. But after six and a half games, Glenn apparently had enough.
Fields has struggled with accuracy and tends to hold the ball too long inside the pocket. The Jets’ offensive line has also struggled as of late, and receivers haven’t been able to get open consistently.
Taylor tried to spark the Jets offense, which has been nonexistent for a better part of the season. He finished 10-of-22 for 126 yards with an interception. However, Taylor opened up the Jets offense a bit by throwing deep passes down the field to keep the Panthers defense from strictly playing the run.
It didn’t help matters that the Jets were without star leading receiver Garrett Wilson for the first time since 2021, before he was drafted the following year. He suffered a knee injury late in the fourth quarter of the Jets’ loss to the Broncos in London last Sunday. Before Sunday, Wilson had played in 57 consecutive games for the Jets.
With Wilson injured, the Jets’ wide receiver corps was severely downgraded, with Reynolds becoming the team’s No. 1 option against the Panthers. The Jets receivers as a whole struggled to get open for Fields or Taylor all day. The Jets leading receiver was Tyler Johnson, who had three catches for 60 yards.
The Jets will have one final game before their bye at Cincinnati in Week 8.
