Carolina and New York are both coming off byes. The Panthers defeated the Dolphins 45-21 in their last outing while the Jets lost 15-10 to the Buccaneers 2 weeks ago.
The Panthers offense still relies on QB Cam Newton to get going and the mercurial signalcaller was on the top of his game against Miami as he threw for 4 TDs and ran for 95 yards. The Jets have allowed 20 TD passes on the year and feature a secondary with a pair of rookie safeties. Newton gets TE Greg Olsen back as the All Pro returns from a broken foot suffered in Week 2. WR Devin Funchess has emerged as the top outside target since the trade of WR Kelvin Benjamin and rookie RB Christian McCaffrey leads the team with 57 receptions. New York doesn’t have the fleetest set of LBs and I expect them to have trouble containing the quick rookie. The running game is averaging 127.6 ypg but a lot of that is due to Newton’s ability as a runner and scrambler. RB Jonathan Stewart rumbled for 110 yards vs. the Dolphins but is averaging only 3.3 ypc. McCaffrey averages just 3.0 ypc but the expected return of C Ryan Kalil (neck, check status) would greatly aid the run game and line play as a whole.
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The Jets have done much better than people expected on offense and the lion’s share of the credit has to go to journeyman QB Josh McCown. He has a 14-8 TD/INT ratio and leads the team with 3 rushing TDs. While he has done a great job with a ragtag group of wideouts he faces a real test this week as Carolina’s defense has given up just 44 points in their last 4 outings. DE Julius Peppers leads the team with 7.5 sacks and the Panthers have 29 as a team. They should add to that total against an o-line that has given up 32 on the season. The running game was supposed to be the strength of the offense but they are averaging only 101.6 ypg on the ground. Carolina ranks among the league leaders in run defense, yielding just 80.6 ypg. Look for the defense to focus on stopping RBs Bilal Powell, Matt Forte and rookie Elijah McGuire and turn their pass rushers lose on McCown.
Public Money Consensus
In this Week 12 NFL matchup between Carolina and New York have the public heavily leaning to the Panthers to cover the 4.5 point spread with over 85%. The over/under bettors are also sure that this game will go over the posted total line of 40 with over 75% on board.
