Week 7 Preview: Jets Banged up at WR With Panthers up Next

Next up for the 0-6 Jets are the upstart Carolina Panthers, who, after getting off to a 1-7 start last season, finished up strong and are now sitting in a good spot at 3-3.  Led by young quarterback Bryce Young and standout rookie receiver Tetairoa McMillan, the Panthers come to town to face a banged up New York team looking for their first win.

Quarterback Justin Fields, whose 8 deep pass attempts this season ranks dead last in the NFL among starters, has stated that now might be the time to open things up and be more aggressive.  Where are the key matchups?

CB Sauce Gardner vs WR Tetairoa McMillan: McMillan is an absolute freak at WR who is on pace to rack up roughly 1,100 yards as a rookie.  Coming off of a 2 touchdown performance last week, he’ll likely draw plenty of attention from Sauce Gardner in what should be a fun matchup between two ultra-athletic and long athletes.

RB Breece Hall vs LB Christian Rozeboom: With Garrett Wilson and Josh Reynolds both banged up and unlikely to play much, if at all, Hall should finally become a focal point of the passing offense.  Rozeboom isn’t know for his ability to cover in the middle, so if Hall can draw him 1-on-1, Fields should be looking for him whenever possible.

WR Arian Smith vs NB Chau Smith-Wade: If going deep is on the agenda for the Jets, that should mean Arian Smith has a chance for his first chance to do what he was drafted to do and make plays down the field.  As a smaller WR who can play the slot or the boundary, the Jets should be looking to get him matched upon Wade where his speed will give him a clear edge.

DE Will McDonald vs LT Ikem Ekwonwu: Two former first-rounders square off at a spot where the Panthers are likely to put a heavy emphasis on the run.  Chuba Hubbard has had plenty of success running behind Ekwonwu’s side where McDonald usually resides.  More of a pass rush specialist, McDonald hasn’t been great against the run.  The Panthers should test him early on to see if it’s an area of weakness that they can exploit throughout the day.

Prediction:

The Jets struggle to move the ball once again with Garrett Wilson watching from the sidelines while the Panthers offense does enough to get to 4-3 while the Jets remain winless.

Panthers: 24

Jets: 17

The post Week 7 Preview: Jets Banged up at WR With Panthers up Next appeared first on JetNation.com – New York Jets Blog & Forum. You can discuss this with other NY Jets fans on the Jet Nation message board. Or visit of on Facebook.