CHARLOTTE — The Panthers (3-3, 1-0) have enjoyed a two-game stretch at home and have stayed undefeated in Bank of America Stadium over the past two weeks. But now it's time to get back on the road and head up the East Coast to New York (well, New Jersey, but close enough). In Week 7, Carolina will take on the New York Jets (0-6).

The Jets will be coming off a 13-11 loss on Sunday to the Denver Broncos in London, England. They are one of the few teams not to have a bye week following an international game.

The Panthers are 5-3 all-time against the Jets. Carolina is 4-1 at home and 1-2 on the road at New York. The Panthers are also 0-3 on the road overall this year, looking for their first win away from the friendly confines of Bank of America Stadium.

Despite the Jets being winless to this point, defensive lineman Derrick Brown, who has been with the Panthers since 2020, knows not to put stock into the record.

"I mean, a lot of people try to say, 'Man, they're 0-6,' but I mean we've been in the same situation, so we'd be fools to sit here and think they're just going to lay down when we got to go up there and play them at home," said Brown this week.

"Yeah, we won two games, but I mean our problem's been, the whole time, has been on the road this year, so we got to be able to go and fight our own demon as well."

With that in mind, get to know the 2025 New York Jets.

Playmakers on offense

The Jets traded for Justin Fields this offseason, dreaming of the pairing with Garrett Wilson and Breece Hall. The offense hasn't quite found its rhythm yet through the air, with Fields averaging 159.8 yards per game passing and throwing a mere four touchdowns through six games, while taking 19 sacks, the second-most in the NFL. The offense didn't score a touchdown in the Week 6 loss.

That area of the game could become more difficult this week. Wilson hyperextended his knee late against the Broncos, and while ESPN reports he avoided a serious knee injury, he will likely miss at least a couple of weeks. That would effectively keep him off the field Sunday against the Panthers.

For the third straight week, though, the Panthers' defense will be tasked with slowing down one of the top rushers in the league. Hall is 11th in the league with 410 yards and is averaging 68.3 yards per game. He has not yet scored a touchdown this season.

Fields has also kept himself in the top half of the league in rushing, despite missing a game early in the season with injury, with 235 total yards (47.0 ypg) with two rushing scores.

"A good quarterback. I mean, they got a quarterback that can get loose, so I mean, that's one thing we're going to have to go ahead and focus on this week. They got a really good running back," said Derrick Brown.

"So for us this week, I mean, it's about being able to learn and be able to contain the offense, but also at the same time, not take what they're trying to feed us, right?"

A "salty" defense

The Jets defense added two pieces to their unit this past week, bringing in corner Jarvis Brownlee Jr.—through a trade with the Tennessee Titans ahead of Week 6—and edge Jermaine Johnson, who missed Weeks 3-5 with an ankle injury.

Brownlee Jr. made his presence felt right away in Week 6, forcing a fumble on the first defensive drive. Johnson came back into the lineup and finished with five tackles and the defense's lone sack on Bo Nix.

So much of the Jets' defense, though, revolves around cornerback Sauce Gardner. The former NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year, two-time All-Pro, and two-time Pro Bowler has followed top receivers on over half of their routes in a majority of games this year. According to Next Gen Stats, he has also forced the second-most tight window throws, behind only Patrick Surtain II.

Dave Canales has already started the tape on the Jets, who provided the only non-field goal points on Sunday, with a safety. And while he sees a little bit of a different look than what Aaron Glenn and Steve Wilks have shown in the past, he still knows what danger the unit presents.

"They're a very aggressive group," Canales said on Monday. "They got a good front, and it's certainly going to be a good challenge for us this week."

"It's an aggressive attack…looking at the first couple of weeks, and then looking at what they did last week, there's a little bit of change, so there's some variety, and I know he's got a lot more.

"I remember coaching against or being a part of staffs that went against Steve Wilks' defenses, and the attacking style, the exotic pressures—and they had a lot more than what they're doing right now, but there was a little bit of a shift—but this is a group that's salty. They run to the ball."

An electric returner

The Jets' special kickoff returner, Kene Nwangwu, may only have four returns (he missed Weeks 2-5 with a hamstring injury), but he's made the most of each of them. Nwangwu leads the entire NFL in kickoff return average, picking up 36.5 yards per return. That number is raised thanks to a 72-yard return against the Broncos, another example of how Nwangwu has proven himself to be one of the best in the league.

Since being drafted by the Vikings in 2021, Nwangwu has returned four kickoffs for a touchdown, including a 99-yard return for a score last season. In that span since 2021, no other player has more than two kickoffs returned for a TD.