Tag: New York Jets

NFL fans were in awe of Carolina’s wild mixed-reality panther that jumped around the stadium

Whaaaaaat?

The NFL is back and I don’t know about you but I’m pretty exited about a seeing a bunch of new players – including 49ers rookie QB Trey Lance, who threw for a TD on his firs play – making their debuts on the first Sunday of the 2021 season.

What I didn’t expect to see today, however, was the debut of the Carolina Panthers’ mixed-reality panther. (Yes, that is a sentence I didn’t think I’d ever write but here we are.)

I was just scrolling through Twitter when I ran across this video from the Panthers of their panther jumping around the stadium and I was in awe. I was also wondering about my level of sobriety.

I mean, check this out:

Wild, right? I don’t know what I just watched but I do think it was pretty cool. Apparently fans in the stands can see it through their phones.

NFL fans watching from home had reactions:

 

Corey Davis, offensive line among Jets’ Studs & Duds in Week 1 loss to Panthers

The Zach Wilson-Corey Davis connection thrived in Week 1 against the Panthers. Some Jets weren’t as sharp, though.

Week 1 featured two different Jets teams.

The squad in the first half looked listless and unimaginative on both sides of the ball, while the second-half Gang Green looked electric and hungry. Zach Wilson was under duress all game but found his touch late in the game. It wasn’t enough to pull off the comeback win, but the Jets’ second-half should give the team some solid momentum next week.

Let’s take a look at the team’s Studs and Duds from the first game of the season.

6 takeaways from the Jets’ Week 1 loss vs. the Panthers

Takeaways from the Jets’ Week 1 loss to the Panthers.

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The Jets looked like their usual incompetent selves early in their season opener against the Panthers.

New York’s offense sputtered out of the gate, failing to get anything going until late in the third quarter due in large part to offensive line struggles. Zach Wilson and Robert Saleh and Jeff Ulbrich’s defense flipped the switch over the final 16 and a half minutes of play, though, giving the Jets a chance to start the 2021 season with a win.

The Panthers did enough to keep New York at bay in the end, as their 16-0 first-half performance helped them hold off the upset-minded Jets by a final score of 19-14. Carolina used Christian McCaffrey early and often to move the ball with ease, as its star totaled nearly 200 yards of offense. Sam Darnold also did his part, with his second-quarter performance being enough to send his former team home unhappy.

Even with the late comeback attempt, there is still plenty that needs to be cleaned up ahead of Week 2 — especially offensively. Here are six takeaways from the Jets’ season opener.

Carolina Panthers vs. New York Jets game recap: Everything we know

Here’s everything you need to know about the Panthers’ Week 1 triumph over the Jets.

So far, so (kinda) good for the 2021 Carolina Panthers.

Sunday’s opener wasn’t always pretty, but the cats pulled through with a close win over the visiting New York Jets. Although a more encouraging performance would’ve saw the Panthers dominate the league’s youngest team at the start of a rebuild, there’s not much to complain about at 1-0.

Here’s everything else to know about the opening victory.

Jets vs. Panthers Week 1 recap: Everything we know

Zach Wilson brought the Jets within striking distance of a comeback in his NFL debut, but New York fell short vs. the Panthers. Recap:

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Zach Wilson brought the Jets within striking distance of a comeback in his NFL debut, but New York fell short in Carolina on Sunday.

The Jets lost their Week 1 matchup, 19-14, against Sam Darnold and the Panthers. New York’s failures in the trenches played a large part in its defeat, but so did a pair of ex-Jets.

Here, we’ll take a look at a Week 1 loss that felt a little too familiar in a few different ways.

Zach Wilson throws first touchdown pass as New York Jet

Zach Wilson hits Corey Wilson and the Jets are in the game heading into the final quarter

The New York Jets took almost 44 minutes to get on the scoreboard in their season opener against the Carolina Panthers. They hope the score is indicative of their future.

First-round pick Zach Wilson kept the play alive and rolled right and managed to find Corey Davis, a free-agent signing in the offseason, in the end zone for a touchdown.

Wilson ran the 2-point conversion in and suddenly Gang Green had cut a 16-0 deficit in half as the game was heading to the fourth quarter. The play was good for 22 yards.

WATCH: Zach Wilson fires first NFL touchdown pass

Zach Wilson tossed his first NFL touchdown pass, a 22-yard strike to Corey Davis, to bring the Jets within a possession.

Zach Wilson and the Jets are on the board.

The rookie rolled out in the third quarter and fired a 22-yard pass to a wide-open Corey Davis in the end zone for his first career touchdown pass. Wilson struggled throughout the first half due in large part to a lack of protection from his offensive line, but the rookie signal-caller turned it on to get New York in the end zone, going a perfect 4-4 on its first scoring drive.

Wilson kept it rolling after his first career touchdown pass, running in a two-point conversion to cut Carolina’s lead to 16-8 with under two minutes left in the third quarter.

Panthers injury update: DB Myles Hartsfield leaves Week 1 contest

Panthers CB Myles Hartsfield was ruled out of the Week 1 opener against the Jets with a wrist injury.

The Carolina Panthers entered Sunday’s season opener with a near clean bill of health. That good luck would continue for much of the game, until the news of Myles Hartsfield popped up.

Hartsfield, who left the game against the Jets with a wrist injury, has been ruled out midway through the second half. He had initially been deemed questionable to return.

Considering the Panthers were relatively thin at the cornerback position already, Hartsfield’s exit does not bode well moving forward, at least before hearing any additional updates. The second-year defender is one of Carolina’s primary defenders out of the slot.

As noted by Darin Gantt of Panthers.com, the team was already missing veteran cover man A.J. Bouye. Bouye will return in Week 3 upon serving the final two games of his six-game suspension to start the campaign.

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Panthers highlight: QB Sam Darnold finds WR Robby Anderson for first TD

QB Sam Darnold and the Panthers offense needed a bit of time, but they finally started to find the end zone to close out the first half.

The Carolina Panthers have quite a few former New York Jets in the lineup today. Two of them are a pair of good buddies in quarterback Sam Darnold and wideout Robby Anderson.

Darnold and Anderson, just as they used to in New York, connected a long pass for the first touchdown of the 2021 season. Anderson scooted right upfield from the slot to blow open the top of the Jets defense for a 57-yard score.

Patented Robby, isn’t it?

Anderson hadn’t even been thrown to prior to the play. So one catch for 57 yards and six points is, at least, pretty darn efficient. It was also, of course, Darnold’s first touchdown as a Panther.

The easy hookup, which was the lone play on that drive, gave the Panthers a 9-0 lead at the 4:06 mark of the second quarter. A missed extra point try from kicker Ryan Santoso kept the advantage at nine.

About three minutes later, for an encore, Darnold busted a 5-yard run for another trip to the end zone to push the lead to 16-0 right before the break.

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Panthers Week 1 inactives: New acquisitions out vs. Jets

We knew WR Shi Smith would be out for the opener against the Jets. What other Panthers will be joining him on the sideline today?

The Carolina Panthers released their list of inactive players an hour and a half ahead of kickoff against the New York Jets on Sunday. Here’s the group:

WR Shi Smith (shoulder injury)
G Michael Jordan (healthy)
DE Darryl Johnson (healthy)
DT Phil Hoskins (healthy)
G Deonte Brown (healthy)
LB Clay Johnston (healthy)

Smith’s status, of course, should come as no shock. The rookie receiver was already deemed out for this one as he nurses a shoulder injury.

Taking his spot, unofficially, will be wideout Alex Erickson. Erickson was just signed to and elevated from the practice squad to undertake punt return duties for the opener.

Jordan and Johnson, who were both acquired over the last two weeks, are also down.

Perhaps the most surprising inactive is the rookie Brown. With starting right guard John Miller out after being placed on the reserve/COVID-19 list, some extra offensive line depth could’ve been useful, especially for a less-than-stellar unit. Nonetheless, Dennis Daley takes the starting nod for Miller.

Here’s who the Jets have out for the contest:

RB Josh Adams
RB La’Mical Perine
LB Quincy Williams
CB Jason Pinnock
DL Jonathan Marshall
WR Keelan Cole

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