In the decade that has passed since their greatest season in franchise history, the Carolinas have waited for the roar of the Panthers to sound again. In the years that have followed Super Bowl 50, the Panthers have had just one winning season, no NFC South division titles, and have faced great difficulty in finding their identity following the departures of franchise greats such as Cam Newton, Luke Kuechly, Greg Olsen, among others.
Under coach Dave Canales, and with quarterback Bryce Young continuing to emerge, the Panthers may finally have found their roar again. After a thrilling comeback win over the Miami Dolphins, the Panthers went blow-for-blow with the Dallas Cowboys offense in Week 6 before finally taking control of the game late, marching down the field to set up a chip shot game-winning field goal for Ryan Fitzgerald that gave Carolina arguably their biggest victory in years.
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Now, the Panthers are 3-3, forming an identity, and stand poised to get back over .500 and announce their presence as a force to be reckoned with in the NFC South. Their next step towards doing so is a trip to MetLife Stadium to play the winless New York Jets, who are trying to avoid 0-7 and avoid giving the Panthers their first win outside of Bank of America Stadium this season.
Where to watch Panthers vs. Jets live
- When: Sunday, Oct. 19 | Time: 1 p.m. ET
- Where: MetLife Stadium — East Rutherford, New Jersey
- TV: Fox | Stream: Fubo (try for free)
- Follow: CBS Sports App
- Odds: Panthers -1.5; O/U 42.5 (via DraftKings)
Panthers vs. Jets: Need to know
Keep pounding the rock. A large part of the Panthers’ turnaround since the second half of last year has been the fact that their run game has become as fearsome as any in the NFL. Chuba Hubbard enjoyed his first 1,000+ yard rushing season in 2024 and had run for 217 in the first four games of this season, but his absence the past two games due to a calf injury has cleared the way for Rico Dowdle to dominate: Dowdle has had 473 yards from scrimmage in the last two games — a Panthers’ franchise record for back-to-back games, including 206 yards rushing against the Dolphins and 183 yards vs. his former Cowboys squad. It remains to be seen if that production is sustainable, though, and it’s worth monitoring exactly how Carolina opts to divide carries between the two once Hubbard returns to the lineup.
What are the Jets going to do at quarterback? Two things were clear after the Jets’ 13-11 loss to the Denver Broncos a week ago: The defense played well enough to win. The offense, however, was an abomination, and the blame has fallen largely on quarterback Justin Fields’ appalling -10 net passing yards after taking nine sacks. Fields’ poor play has created an extremely delicate situation for coach Aaron Glenn, as the team’s 0-6 record combined with mounting frustration from running back Breece Hall and wide receiver Garrett Wilson — plus a report that some in the Jets’ locker room believe backup Tyrod Taylor is the better quarterback — may prompt dramatic actions despite Glenn publicly sticking with Fields. If the Jets yet again look completely impotent on offense, particularly in front of a restless New York crowd, the complexion of Sunday’s game could shift dramatically if Glenn opts to pull the plug on Fields and put Taylor out there.
Panthers vs. Jets prediction, pick
The Panthers are only favored by -1.5 in this matchup, which — while surprising — isn’t totally shocking considering that Carolina still has to prove that they’re a winning team after years of occasional mirages of success mixed with a lot of losing. But under Dave Canales, the Panthers have shown that they’re building a physically and mentally tough team with a lot of resilience, which will serve them well even if the Jets throw a changeup by yanking Justin Fields for Tyrod Taylor. The Panthers have yet to win a game on the road this year, but they came close to pulling off a comeback win on the road against the Arizona Cardinals and have successfully built from there. I say the Panthers get over the hump and get back over .500 for the first time in four years. Pick: Panthers -1.5, Under 42.5
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