3 winners and 3 losers from Carolina Panthers win vs. NY Jets in Week 1

Zach Wilson – QB

Because of the complete domination by the Carolina Panthers defensive line, rookie quarterback Zach Wilson fell victim to all the hits and pressure.

Fortunately for Wilson, thanks to a solid second-half comeback attempt, his stats weren’t that bad. But he was sacked six times for a loss of 51 yards and looked like he was running for his life to avoid pressure almost every time he snapped the ball.

So while the first loser on this list isn’t on Carolina’s roster, they had a large part in putting him here.

As Brian Burns pointed out, their task was to make Wilson’s competitive debut “hell”. And it was mission accomplished.

"“The strategy was to hit him a lot, be in his face a lot, disguise, try to confuse him. That was the basic strategy. Make his first game hell. That was pretty much what we had coming in.”"

The first half was the worst for Wilson, as he managed to complete six of 16 passing attempts for 84 yards. Things got a little bit better in the second half for the BYU product and he finished the game with 258 passing yards and two touchdowns.

To make matters worse, tackle Mekhi Becton, one of the Jets’ best offensive linemen was carted off the field with tears. It might be a long year for Wilson, and the Panthers made sure to take advantage.

It also never helps when you (Wilson) lose your first game against the guy (Sam Darnold) you’re replacing.