Jaguars (1-0) At Jets (1-0)

JAGUARS (1-0) AT JETS (1-0), 1 P.M. EASTERN, CBS

Matchup to Watch: Jets’ Defense vs. Luke McCown

All week, the Jets’ defense spoke in glowing terms about the 30-year-old McCown, who has made eight career starts and threw his last touchdown pass in December 2007. That graciousness was repaid by Jason Hill, a backup receiver for Jacksonville, who suggested that Darrelle Revis did not deserve his reputation as one of the N.F.L.’s top corners. Already smarting after allowing 390 yards to Dallas, the Jets’ defense has one more reason to prove itself, and its aggressive schemes could harass McCown all afternoon.

Number to Watch: 2.7

The average yards per carry last Sunday by Chris Johnson, the Titans’ superb running back, against the Jaguars’ defensive front. That could portend bad news for the Jets, who were held to 45 rushing yards last Sunday, their fewest in the Rex Ryan era. Improved blocking could open up the running game, diversify the offense and help keep Mark Sanchez upright, something the Jets struggled to do against Dallas. After being pummeled by the Cowboys’ blitzes, Sanchez needed concussion testing. ”You don’t want your quarterback to get hit that many times, that’s for sure,” Ryan said.

Quote of the Week

”It feels like a fresh-out-of-the-womb knee.”

MAURICE JONES-DREW, Jacksonville running back, who amassed 97 yards and a touchdown on 24 carries in his first game since having off-season surgery on his right knee.

This is a more complete version of the story than the one that appeared in print.

GRAPHICS

Newton, Panthers Beat Jaguars 16-10

There were few of the big passing plays he made look so easy in his first two games, even fewer scoring chances, and more than enough reasons to get frustrated.

Instead, the No. 1 overall draft pick by Carolina ignored it all and led the clutch drive that secured his first NFL victory, 16-10 over Jacksonville.

Newton found Greg Olsen over the middle for a 16-yard touchdown with 4:20 left to help the Panthers beat the Jaguars, giving coach Ron Rivera his first victory on the Carolina sideline.

Newton didn’t come close to matching those 400-yard throwing days from each of his first two games, finishing 18 for 34 for 158 yards against the Jaguars and their own highly drafted rookie quarterback, Blaine Gabbert. It didn’t matter, though, considering he had just earned his first victory since leading Auburn past Oregon in last season’s BCS championship game.

“It wasn’t a pretty win,” Newton said, “but the last part counts, right?”

Newton didn’t even crack the 100-yard passing mark until the final period. At least some blame went to the heavy rain that arrived in the second quarter, turning the field into a slick, puddle-filled mess, sending players hydroplaning and kicking up walls of water as they slid to the turf on tackles.

But after the rain let up in the third period, Newton directed a field-goal drive late in the period. Then he completed all three of his passes for 47 yards on the decisive drive. On his last throw, he went over the middle to Olsen, who broke free of a tackle by Daryl Smith and sprinted to the left side for the go-ahead touchdown.

Newton also found Olsen for the 2-point conversion that erased the 10-5 halftime deficit.

Olsen said Newton’s demeanor never changed in the huddle.

“That’s what makes him a winner and what makes him how successful he’s been,” Olsen said. “The circumstances we were in were tough. That’s not an excuse. If you ask Jacksonville, they would say the same thing.”

Gabbert, the 10th pick of the draft, threw for 139 yards in his starting debut. That included a 36-yard touchdown pass to Mike Thomas on the final play of the first half, leading to a steady series of boos from the drenched home fans who hadn’t already fled to the safety of the concourse.

“It was a good start for him, considering it was a hurricane,” said Maurice Jones-Drew, who rushed for 122 yards. “He’s going to be a good quarterback, and we’ve got to continue to grow with him.”

Gabbert even had a chance to snatch the victory from Newton in the final minute, driving the Jaguars way to the Carolina 36-yard line in the final seconds. But linebacker Thomas Williams batted away Gabbert’s final pass for Jason Hill as the clock expired.

Gabbert completed 12 of 21 passes and had three fumbled snaps — the Jaguars recovered each one — to go with an interception.

“We got the right look most of the day,” Gabbert said. “We knew what they were going to do. We made the right calls, had the correct blocking. We just failed to execute.”

The Panthers seriously considered taking Gabbert with the top pick before deciding on the Heisman Trophy winner out of Auburn. The decision has paid off so far, with Newton energizing the Charlotte area while giving the franchise the type of exciting player it has never really had.

“At times, the defense wasn’t giving me the looks that we were wanting,” Newton said. “That’s one where you have to make up your decision in your mind as a quarterback: Are you going to force it to get a completion or are you just going to check it down to your backs? … Today was a prime example of you just managing the game and just getting it to your backs and keeping the chains going.”

Newton directed just one first-half scoring drive that ended with a field goal. But he avoided any turnovers after throwing three interceptions against Green Bay last week.

“He settled in and made some good decisions,” Rivera said. “If he continues to do that, it gives us a chance to win. If we give ourselves a chance to win, I think we will win a few more.”

Things didn’t start out well for Gabbert. A penalty wiped out a chain-moving completion on his first throw and he ended up being tripped up in the end zone for a safety. His second drive ended with a third-down sack.

He got the Jaguars on the board by directing a field goal drive, aided by the Panthers jumping offside on a punt to give Jacksonville a first down after what was going to be a three-and-out. He also led the stunning scoring drive right before half, with Thomas catching a long pass from Gabbert and leaping across the goal line through the heavy rain as time expired for the 10-5 lead.

Notes: Carolina cornerback Chris Gamble left the game in the second quarter with an unspecified injury. He did not return. … Jacksonville running back Montell Owens left the game with a knee injury on a third-quarter kickoff return. … Jacksonville played without defensive ends Aaron Kampman (knee) and Matt Roth (neck), and receiver Kassim Osgood (hamstring). … Carolina S Charles Godfrey (concussion) was also inactive.

Tights Ends Have a History of Shredding the Jets’ Defense

The Jets know that such plays are coming. With Darrelle Revis and Antonio Cromartie, two superb cornerbacks on the outside, teams often test the Jets toward the middle of the field. Preventing them has become a weekly challenge, as it will again on Sunday, when another elite tight end visits MetLife Stadium. Marcedes Lewis of Jacksonville is as big (6 feet 6 inches) as Witten, 10 pounds heavier at 275, and, according to Ryan, faster.

The Jets feel that they can concentrate on stopping and the dynamic running back Maurice Jones-Drew, a luxury they did not have when preparing for the Cowboys, who also have two elite receivers and running backs with receiving skills. Lewis did not practice again Thursday because of an injured calf, but the Jets are preparing as if he will play.

The Jets want to be physical with Lewis, but not to the point of vicious collisions off the snap. Mike Pettine, the defensive coordinator, said he would tell his players not to crash into Lewis because players of that size and strength bounce off. A good shove off the line of scrimmage, by a linebacker or a defensive end, should work, helping the player actually assigned to cover Lewis.

While watching tape on Monday morning, Pettine noticed that the Cowboys lined up Witten at receiver, a change that curtailed the defender’s ability to disrupt his route. He expects the Jaguars to do the same with Lewis.

“Anytime you play a tight end like that, they don’t want you putting your hands on them,” safety Brodney Pool said. “It messes with guys if you bump them, rough them up, so they don’t run freely.”

Pass-catching tight ends present matchup nightmares for defenses. Deploying a cornerback to cover a Witten or a Lewis might appear an easy solution, but on rushing plays the tight end, bunched closer to the line of scrimmage and in full blocking mode, has a size and strength advantage.

So the Jets, like many teams, prefer a linebacker or a safety, players who in theory can cover them while holding their own in run support. On Witten’s big play Sunday, that responsibility fell to safety Eric Smith, who was left alone in coverage. Witten juked him off the snap, beating him inside, and gained separation about 5 yards from the line as he ran a seam route.

The Jets’ troubles with tight ends date to last season, when some of the league’s best — Todd Heap, Ben Watson, Aaron Hernandez — shredded them for long gains and touchdowns; in all, 10 posted catches of at least 20 yards against the Jets.

That list included Joel Dreessen of Houston, who is not considered an elite tight end, but amassed 106 yards and a touchdown. Rough games against the Patriots, whose tight ends combined for 19 catches and 286 yards in the teams’ three meetings, accentuated the problem.

Yet, there exists a chance that their shortcomings might be at once overstated and misleading. According to game charting by Football Outsiders, in 2010 the Jets ranked ninth in defending tight ends, down from fourth in 2009, allowing 44.8 yards per game. That figure could be as low it is because of a stroke of good fortune; they faced teams like Green Bay and Denver at points in the schedule when their top tight ends were unavailable.

Even so, a week after allowing 110 yards to Witten, the Jets are aware of their perceived deficiencies and are determined not to let Lewis have similar success. For starters, they know what Jacksonville intends to do.

“They’re going to try to get the ball to Marcedes in the middle of the field,” Revis said.

EXTRA POINTS

Linebacker David Harris sat out practice for a second consecutive day because of a toe injury, but Coach Rex Ryan said he expected him to play Sunday.