CHARLOTTE —A look inside the numbers from Saturday's 15-12 loss at home against the Jets.

• The Panthers defense allowed just nine passing yards in the first quarter and 18 in the first half. They both would have been tied for the second-fewest passing yards allowed by the Panthers in 2023.
• The Panthers defense held the Jets to just 85 net passing yards in Preseason Week 2. This would have been the fewest net passing yards allowed by the Panthers during the 2023 season.

• DE T.J. Smith got to Jets QB Andrew Peasley in the second quarter for his first sack of the game, a loss of 15 yards. He leads ranks tied for sixth in the NFL and leads all Panthers defenders with 2.0 sacks this preseason. Smith finished the game two tackles (one solo), 1.0 sack, one tackle for loss, one quarterback hit and one pass defensed.

• CB Jammie Robinson finished the game with seven tackles (four solo), a career high. He led all Panthers defenders in total and solo tackles.

• Rookie S Demani Richardson picked off Jets QB Adrian Martinez in the third quarter, setting up a Panthers field goal to tie the game. This was Richardson's first interception of the preseason and the Panthers first takeaway.

• Rookie RB Dillon Johnson scored the first touchdown of his career as time expired, capping a seven-play, 66-yard drive.

SNAP COUNTS

Take a look at the snap counts and playtime percentage for the Panthers in Week 2 of the preseason against the Jets.

• For the second week in a row, tackle Ricky Lee played every snap. This week, he was joined by center Andrew Raym and guard Mason Brooks, who got here Friday and was getting last-minute coaching from assistant Dean Petzing to make sure he knew enough of the playbook to be able to function. That's admirable.
• As a resut, regulars Brady Christensen and Chandler Zavala dressed but did not play offensive snaps, after they took every snap last week at New England. That news was particularly good for Zavala, who had a hamstring tighten up last week, but he said he was fine and ready to roll.
• They're still getting a read on Ihmir Smith-Marsette as an offensive player, as he played the most snaps, including late ones, in what should be a competitive situation for roster spots at wide receiver. Jonathan Mingo, a projected starter who should be secure, got the least work among the receivers who played.

• Not only did Jammie Robinson play the most snaps, he played them all over the yard. He can line up at safety and nickel, and can be a core special teamer. That kind of versatility can help him in what should be a tough decision on who to keep in the secondary. They are deep, and have veteran depth at safety, so the fight for roster spots is going to be a tense one for everyone in the defensive backs room.
• Chau Smith-Wade is in a similar situation. He was mostly viewed as a nickel, but played a lot of snaps as an outside corner as well on Saturday night. With Dane Jackson injured and expected to miss the start of the regular season, they're looking for a starter opposite Jaycee Horn and Saturday was the first casting call for Smith-Wade, Lamar Jackson, D'Shawn Jamison, and Dicaprio Bootle.

• Eddy Piñeiro handed all the kicking (since he's the only one on the roster) after not getting any work last week. He was money on field goals, but the kickoff game was a bit of a mess, though that's not nearly all his fault. Special teams coordinator Tracy Smith is always going to have a mixed bag of players to work with, that's the nature of his job, but they definitely need to find some stability as they move closer to the regular season.
• Brady Christensen is a good sport. He didn't have to play on offense Saturday, but he did his duty on the two field goal snaps. He's capable of playing all five spots on the offensive line, and is also a good and willing human being.