5 big takeaways from the Carolina Panthers win vs. NY Jets in Week 1
By Luke Gray
The Carolina Panthers should have had a blowout victory
The Carolina Panthers got the win which was the main thing. However, they should have won the game by way more than five points.
In the first half, the New York Jets looked like a very bad football team, whether it was opening day nerves for a rookie quarterback and head coach or not is up for debate, but the players looked all at sea as the Panthers dominated.
Red zone struggles were again prevalent early on with the first two trips resulting in a fumble and a solitary field goal by Ryan Santoso.
Although Zach Wilson improved a lot in the second half, finding a good connection with offseason acquisition Corey Davis, this game should have been pretty much done at the break. No one could have really argued with the Panthers being up 28-0 at half-time given how the contest went.
Carolina only managed three second-half points and scraped home. This should not have been a close game and the first half was the perfect opportunity to assert real offensive dominance and score three or four touchdowns on a struggling team going through a period of transition.
Must Read. Carolina Panthers: 5 major observations from Sam Darnold in Week 1 vs. NY Jets. light
A lot was leveled on the Panthers losing close games last season by a score or less. So winning the first game by less than that has to be something, right?