KUECHLY & CO. BIG TEST FOR JETS
Jets have work cut out for them vs. top-ranked Panthers 'D'
Cam Newton may get all the attention, but the Panthers’ defense is a big reason why they are 7-3 this season and presents a huge challenge Sunday for the Jets.
The Panthers enter the game at MetLife Stadium ranked second in total defense, third in rushing defense, fourth in passing defense and fifth in scoring defense. They have an outstanding front seven that has registered 29 sacks this year and a secondary that has shown improvement off a down year in 2016.
“Obviously, they’re a veteran group,” Jets quarterback Josh McCown said. “They’ve been together for a while. Luke [Kuechly] and Thomas [Davis] set the tone with the whole team because they are such smart players. They are great players. It’s a tough group and their backend is a good group, too. Mike Adams, they have veteran people on this team and they play off of each other really well. So we know it’s going to be a tough task because they’re playing at a high level, but we’re excited about the opportunity to go against the best and see where we stack up.”
The Jets are coming off of one of their worst offensive performances this season. Against the Buccaneers two weeks ago, they scored just 10 points and really failed to move the ball until the final minutes of the game. They allowed a season-high six sacks and rushed for just 39 yards.
The offensive line had a miserable day against Tampa Bay. The Jets have no chance against the Panthers if the offensive line plays that way again.
“I’m confident that we’ll go out, compete and play hard,” coach Todd Bowles said. “The mistakes we made, obviously you want to fix and we’ll see that on Sunday. Those guys are going to come out and compete. They have a lot of pride.”
The Panthers’ defense can attack you in several different ways. Their front line, led by Kawann Short, has been stout against the run. The Panthers have not allowed a 100-yard rusher this season. The last time they did give up 100 yards to one player was nearly a year ago on Dec. 4, 2016, when Thomas Rawls did it. That is 14 games ago. Behind that line is perhaps the best linebacker corps in the NFL. Kuechly and Davis have been together since 2012 in the middle and are tackling machines. Since 2012, Kuechly is credited with 764 tackles, the most in the NFL over that time. “I appreciate his work ethic and his playing all out on every play,” Bowles said. “Very instinctive, very smart. You can tell he studies a lot of film and takes care of his body. He’s a pleasure to watch when I’m not playing against him.” Kuechly and Davis can also take the ball away. They have 25 interceptions between them since 2012. Julius Peppers returned to the Panthers this season and does not look like he lost a step. He has 7.5 sacks to lead the team. Last season, the Panthers went with two rookies at cornerback after letting Josh Norman go. Daryl Worley and James Bradberry had growing pains, but this season they have shown improvement and could cause problems for the Jets. “They’re long, number one,” Bowles said. “They can press. The biggest thing is they can do both. They can press, play off and play zone. That makes them a triple threat. Those guys are very aware. They do a very good job schematically in understanding what they do and know where their help is. When it’s time to lock you down, they can lock you down as well.” Jets RB Matt Forte, who has been sidelined since suffering a knee injury two weeks ago, stretched with the team but didn’t practice on Thursday. … CB Rashard Robinson (illness) did not practice.