Jets vs. Panthers 2013, Week 15: Carolina attempts to bounce back at home

It wasn’t a perfect game for Carolina however, and the Panthers continued to struggle in the red zone, Edgar Salmingo Jr. of Cat Scratch Reader said it was a solid win:

The loss dropped New York to 6-8 on the season and likely out of the playoffs for the third straight season. The future of Rex Ryan is a major topic in New York and Jon B of Gang Green Nation is torn on what the Jets should do. New York doesn’t have the most-talented roster in the NFL, but does that give Ryan a pass?

Calling it “not that big a deal,” Rivera explained that Newton did not undergo X-rays and that it was not being characterized as turf toe.

“The reason we took him off early was because we had to cut the tape off and let them double-check and make sure everything was fine,” Rivera said. “Everything came out OK.”

The Panthers had a scare on the team’s next drive when Newton was brought down from behind by defensive end Sheldon Richardson. Newton’s leg was twisted in the tackle, and he hurt his hip. He left the field shortly before the half, but was able to continue without pain in the second.

It was a game that appeared to be much closer on the box score than it looked. Carolina had lapses on defense which allowed long drives, but was stout for much of the day and limited Geno Smith’s passing opportunities. He finished with 167 passing yards, one touchdown and an interception.

It doesn’t matter that Richardson is regarded as one of the league’s most athletic young defenders, this is still a fat guy touchdown and will be celebrated as such. The real disappointment here is that the rookie didn’t even attempt a dance afterwards.

The touchdown came on Richardson’s second attempt. If at first you don’t succeed...

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Thankfully for the Panthers, Brees’ performance is an outlier. They have relinquished 13 passing touchdowns to 16 interceptions this season, and had a 9:16 TD:INT ratio prior to Brees’ performance. Also worth noting is that the front seven was able to hold the Saints to 69 yards on the ground. The Panthers’ run defense is first in the NFL, giving up 79.4 yards per game at a fourth-best 3.8 yards per carry average.

That stat about the Panthers’ run defense is bad news for a Jets offense that may need to run the ball to have any kind of success Sunday. The Jets average a healthy 126.1 yards per game on the ground at 4.3 yards per carry. Their 384 rushing attempts is eighth-most in the NFL. In their six wins, they averaged more than 151 yards per game and in their seven losses they averaged fewer than 105 yards.

Game Date/Time and Location: Sunday, Dec. 15, 4:05 p.m. ET at Bank of America Stadium, Charlotte, N.C.

TV schedule and distribution map: CBS; The506.com

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Going into the contest the Panthers are favored by 12.5 points at home, according to Oddsshark.com.

This appears on paper to be a tough matchup for the Jets. Carolina’s defense ranks first in the NFL in scoring while New York’s offense comes in 31st in points.