A duel of running backs could decide whether the New York Jets notch their first win.
Breece Hall headlines keys to victory for Jets in Week 7 vs Panthers originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
Every week, the New York Jets seem to be finding new and ever more impressive ways to lose winnable games. In Week 6, it meant racking up -10 yards in the passing game against the Denver Broncos in London. Yes, that’s negative ten yards, the worst passing performance in 27 years. This historic ineptitude by the offense was doubly shameful because it wasted a tremendous effort by the defense, who finally got their first takeaway of the season. If nothing else good came from that game, at least one shameful streak came to an end.
But the Jets remain winless, the only NFL team at this point in the season to remain so, and that must end in Week 7. Luckily, the Jets are facing the Carolina Panthers who, despite their 3-3 record, are vulnerable. Carolina is averaging just 15 points per game on the road and they’re set to face a defense that seems to have finally found its footing in 2025.
This is a game the Jets must, and should win, and they can get the job done if they hit these three keys.
1. Next man up in the passing game
With Garrett Wilson inactive for Week 7, someone on the offense is going to have to step up to fill his shoes. This is no small task as Wilson’s 56 targets account for nearly half of all Justin Fields’ pass attempts this season. The Jets could hand a heavier workload to the promising rookie tight end Mason Taylor or attempt to make Josh Reynolds their WR1 for this week, or even increase targets to running back Breece Hall.
2. Quinnen Williams must dominate
Standing just five-foot-ten, Carolina quarterback Bryce Young is among the NFL’s shortest quarterbacks, and this leads to problems when he doesn’t have a firm pocket to stand back in. When the pressure gets close, especially right in his face, Young struggles to see the field and can be forced into mistakes. That’s where three-time Pro Bowler Quinnen Williams comes in.
He doesn’t even need to stuff the stat sheet this week to make a difference. If Williams can dominate at the point of attack and get in Young’s face consistently, the Jets’ secondary should feast on errant throws.
3. A heavy dosage of Breece Hall
In addition to an uptick in targets in the passing game this week, the Jets need to lean harder on their top running back. The passing game was already a weakness, and the absence of Garrett Wilson will only exacerbate the issue. Moving the ball on the ground will be paramount, and that begins and ends with Hall.
This is doubly important when you consider the running backs that Carolina will bring to MetLife. Chuba Hubbard, who was having another great season before his injury, is back, while Rico Dowdle has been a runaway freight train in the last two games.
This game could very well be decided by which team runs the ball better and controls more of the clock, especially late in the game.
Final Prediction: Jets lose 10-13
I expect this game to be eerily similar to Week 6: an incredible defensive effort wasted by an offense that is so inept that you can’t help but laugh. If my prediction rings true and the Jets fall to 0-7, there need to be serious conversations within the front office about how much longer the team can tolerate head coach Aaron Glenn’s failures.
Category: Football