5 big takeaways from the Carolina Panthers win vs. NY Jets in Week 1

Carolina Panthers OL remains a concern

This really was a tale of two halves for the Carolina Panthers offensive line.

A lot was made of how they’d deal with the New York Jets stud defensive tackle pair of Quinnen Williams and Sheldon Rankins. In the first half, they dealt with the threat well.

Sam Darnold balled out, as a result, ending the half 17-22 for 234 yards, two total touchdowns, and a 125.9 passer rating. More importantly, the Panthers didn’t give up a sack in the first half and conceded just one all afternoon.

However, in the second half, those offensive line struggles came to the fore, with the aforementioned 28 yards of third-quarter offense, and a couple of notable plays which saw center Matt Paradis bodied by Folorunso Fatukasi, and then left tackle Cam Erving was beaten easily off the edge causing Darnold to overthrow D.J. Moore.

The fact two of the Panthers named inactive were guards Michael Jordan and Deonte Brown was a surprise, when guard Pat Elflein limped to the sideline this seemed more of a worry but luckily the former Jet returned to the game.

However, the coaching staff would have noted the struggles in the second half. So the likes of Jordan, Brown, and fellow rookie Brady Christensen may see some reps against the New Orleans Saints next weekend considering how good their defense looked against the Green Bay Packers.