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The Jets front seven had a great game, and that means all the different configurations that were put together throughout the game.
Kris Jenkins opened the game making a statement to his old friends in Charlotte. Matt Moore threw a screen on the right side to RB DeAngelo Williams, and Jenkins displayed tremendous hustle running to the right side to stop the runner for no gain.
In the middle of the second quarter, Ropati Pitoitua and Jason Taylor stopped Williams for a loss of one. Ropati blew out his Achilles and is done for the season.
Mike DeVito beat guard Mackenzy Bernadeau for a sack late in the game. Rex put him back in the game late to help ice the victory and clearly the plan worked.
Ty Steinkuhler did some good things.
Steinkuhler blocked a pass in the third quarter and stopped RB Josh Vaughan for a loss of two early in the fourth. He also had a QB pressure late in the game when he leveled Jimmy Clausen as he was launching the football.
One play Matt “Don’t be” Kroul would want back was his when he leveled a Panther out of bounds on special teams leading to a penalty. But he bounced back to make two excellent plays. He stopped RB Mike Goodson on the line late in the third quarter and had a late sack on third down, forcing a punt.
Helping the Jets defensive line a tad was the absence of Carolina Panthers starting right tackle Jeff Otah due to an injury.
As for the linebackers, Kenwin Cummings stole the show.
He played like a man possessed. Not only because he’s trying to secure a roster spot, but because he’s was born and raised in North Carolina, and went to college near Charlotte at Division II Wingate.
He wasn’t just hitting people, but crushing them.
In the early third quarter, he leveled RB Tyrell Sutton with a major hit on the line. He had another big hit early in the fourth on the three-yard-line coming out on Goodson. He had a QB pressure late in the game forcing Clauson to throw the ball away.
Jamaal Westerman played well. He blitzed up the middle like a runaway freight train and sacked Jimmy Clausen in the middle of the second quarter.
Westerman stopped Rashawn Jackson around the line with a leg tackle in the middle third. Westerman had a late QB pressure, forcing Clausen to throw the ball out out of bounds. Also late in the game, he stopped a scrambling Clausen right over the line.
Bart Scott stopped Williams on the line on his first carry.
Early in the second quarter, David Harris had a nice PD on a Kenny Moore crossing route. This was a great piece of coverage by a linebacker on a speedy receiver.