The closest thing to a must-win game in years?

[SBBlue]

13 minutes ago, top dawg said:

If we can't beat a team with a brand new staff, rookie QB, a suspect O-line and suspect offensive skill players, then who the hell can we beat (with all these shiny new toys)?

And I'll add that Rhule and company pushed their chips in on Darnold.

The staff is an upgrade for sure.  They added a 1st round OG Vera Tucker and RT Morgan Moses (79.9 pff).  They added a 1st round LT last year, Beckton.  Their oline looks better than ours on paper now.  They added more toys than we did with 2 first round picks and a dozen new players in FA.   They added Elijah Moore and Corey Davis at WR.

We should beat the jets.  I hope we destroy them and Burns, Brown, Reddick and Fox give Wilson a nice warm welcome the NFL.

We should  not assume this will be an easy game or we'll end up like the Rams and Browns.

Edited August 12, 2021 by SBBlue

[joemac]

2 minutes ago, SBBlue said:

The staff is an upgrade for sure.  They added a 1st round OG Vera Tucker and RT Morgan Moses (79.9 pff).  They added a 1st round LT last year, Beckton.  Their oline looks better than ours on paper now.  They added more toys than we did with 2 first round picks and a dozen new players in FA.   They added Elijah Moore and Corey Davis at WR.

We should beat the jets.  I hope we destroy them and Burns, Brown, Reddick and Fox give Wilson a nice warm welcome the NFL.

We should  not assume this will be an easy game or we'll end up like the Rams and Browns.

All that new O-Line for the Jets and word out of their camp is that Wilson is getting sacked like crazy when they scrimmage.  Probably has a lot to do with how green Wilson is, but still does not bode well for their chances against us.  

[Pejorative Miscreant]

First week of regular season usually has teams playing down to their opponent (strictly my anecdotal opinion).   I think you have to look at it as the most important game because it’s the next game.  Not because it’s the first game and the NY J is the opponent.  If a player or coach sees week 1 of a 17 game schedule as a “must win” they might want to look at another profession.  

[NAS]

This place will implode if we lose to the Jets.  It's a must win for us.

[t96]

46 minutes ago, Tommy Jone said:

The last "must win" game I recall was opening with Denver the year after the SB... Still angry about that

I still can't believe that the league made us open the season on the road against the defending champs, and they didn't make Atlanta play at New England to open the season in the very next year. Complete nonsense.

[SBBlue]

16 minutes ago, therealmjl said:

That game derailed our entire season

thanks for nothing Gano

He made it the first time. But yeah.  

I know it seemed liked it derailed us, but Oher going down and the refs declaring open season for head hunting Cam, letting Norman go, and a mostly shty draft headlined by Vernon Butler probably were bigger reasons.

[KSpan]

Very few games are 'must-win', and none of them are season openers. 2013 was exactly the same - if the team loses vs Seattle the season is over (some were calling that the 'most important regular season game in the history of the franchise's), then a loss vs Buffalo was the end, then a loss vs. AZ... we all know how 2013 turned out.

Winning is preferred but a season opener means little. Much more important how the team looks across the first half, and subsequently the first season.

[top dawg]

4 minutes ago, Ace420 said:

I think it will be closer than most people think. Something like 17-10. First game of the season is usually tricky. They could very well beat us too, considering that we have no idea what their offense or defense will look like, while they can get an idea of how to gameplan us by last year's film. 

It basically comes down to Sam darnold. If he can make those big plays down field like he does at camp them we might destroy them, if he plays bad it might not go well the whole season for us. I want to have faith in the young man though.

17-10. We will smother them defensively but will have some rust on the offense.

We have CMC, Moore, Anderson, Arnold, and Joe Brady, and you think that all we can put up is 17 measly points? Nah, man, I predict 34 to 9.

[Luciu5]

I don't think it's must win, but if we lose it kinda creates a narrative where the Panthers are the dumpster fire of the year and that would stick until proven otherwise.  Fans would be calling for heads to roll.  Ultimately it depends on how the team responds to an L.  If it destroys morale, then yes it's must win.  I think if we lose though it answers right away if we are a playoff contender or not.

[SBBlue]

8 minutes ago, Ace420 said:

I think it will be closer than most people think. Something like 17-10. First game of the season is usually tricky. They could very well beat us too, considering that we have no idea what their offense or defense will look like, while they can get an idea of how to gameplan us by last year's film. 

It basically comes down to Sam darnold. If he can make those big plays down field like he does at camp them we might destroy them, if he plays bad it might not go well the whole season for us. I want to have faith in the young man though.

17-10. We will smother them defensively but will have some rust on the offense.

I agree.   I do think our run game will decide it though.   They had a good run D last year and we don't do well without a run game.  If we establish the run, we'll roll.

[stackofbacon]

40 minutes ago, therealmjl said:

That game derailed our entire season

thanks for nothing Gano

you can thank the refs too for allowing missile attacks on Cam's head

[SBBlue]

27 minutes ago, joemac said:

All that new O-Line for the Jets and word out of their camp is that Wilson is getting sacked like crazy when they scrimmage.  Probably has a lot to do with how green Wilson is, but still does not bode well for their chances against us.  

Their  Dline is stacked now.  I'm telling you, they went crazy in FA.  They added two very good pieces to the Dline and they were already 7th in run D. 

Don't get me wrong, they had a ton of holes to fill and they aren't contenders, but we weren't awesome last year either and we had an easier schedule.

Don't sleep on the jets man.

https://www.pff.com/news/nfl-roster-rankings-for-all-32-teams-for-2021-strengths-weaknesses-and-x-factors-for-every-teams-starting-lineup#NYJ

Edited August 12, 2021 by SBBlue

[frankw]

Must win indeed. If Carolina loses everyone on down to the waterboys deserve to be ridiculed into oblivion. Worse than the Jets is not an option.

[NanuqoftheNorth]

1 hour ago, SBBlue said:

We are NOT playing the 2020 jets.    

I will not judge the season by the outcome of this game.

That said...I hope we destroy them.

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