It wasn’t pretty or particularly inspiring – much like the steel grey skies over MetLife Stadium in the Meadowlands.
But there are no style points in the NFL, particularly in November and December games when playoff lives are on the line.
The Carolina Panthers won ugly Sunday. But they won, taking care of the pesky Jets 35-27 for their fourth victory in a row.
Carolina improved to 8-3 and won on a day when former Panthers QB Josh McCown outplayed current Panthers QB Cam Newton, who completed only 11 of 28 passes for 168 yards.
But the Panthers received big boosts from their defense and special teams (see below) to stay in good shape in the NFC playoff race heading into next week’s showdown with the Saints in New Orleans.