By Joe Person, Zack Rosenblatt and Jenna West

The winless New York Jets’ woes went from bad to worse as they benched quarterback Justin Fields during Sunday’s 13-6 loss to the Carolina Panthers.

New York turned to backup Tyrod Taylor in the second half after Fields went 6-for-12 for 46 yards and no touchdowns through two quarters. The Jets trailed 10-3 at halftime.

Fields briefly exited the game in the second quarter as he was evaluated for a concussion after taking a hard hit from Nick Scott. Fields was cleared and returned on the Jets’ next drive.

Both offenses struggled throughout the day, with the lone touchdown coming late in the second quarter when Carolina quarterback Bryce Young found receiver Xavier Legette in the end zone with a 3-yard pass.

However, the Panthers lost Young in the third quarter when he hurt his right ankle while trying to avoid a sack, and he did not return to the game. Backup Andy Dalton finished the game for Carolina.

Panthers coach Dave Canales said Young wasn’t able to put weight on his ankle, and Canales had no specifics on the severity of the quarterback’s injury. X-rays on Young’s ankle came back negative, according to a league source.

Running back Rico Dowdle said he talked to Young, who said he would be fine.

Young went 15 of 25 with 138 yards and one touchdown as the Panthers improved to 4-3.

With Sunday’s loss, the Jets fall to 0-7. Taylor finished with 10 completions on 22 attempts with 126 yards, no touchdowns and two interceptions.

Panthers’ defense steps up when needed

With Young out of the game, the Panthers’ defense took matters into its own hands, especially Pro Bowl cornerback Jaycee Horn, who had the first two-interception game of his career. Both of Horn’s interceptions came after Young exited and journeyman Taylor replaced Fields in the second half.