Panthers at Jaguars predictions: Can Jacksonville start off on the right foot in 2025?

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Panthers at Jaguars predictions: Can Jacksonville start off on the right foot in 2025?

Tim Walters, Jacksonville Florida Times-Union · The Florida Times-Union

Fri, Sep 5, 2025 ·

5 min read

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The Jacksonville Jaguars open the 2025 season against a team they will forever be linked to: the Carolina Panthers .

The two teams entered the NFL together in 1995.

As the Jaguars and Panthers open their 31st seasons, this will be the third time the two teams will meet in Week 1.

Each of the previous two times they opened the season against each other, the Panthers have made it to the Super Bowl.

In 2003, the Jaguars played at Carolina and lost 24-23. In 2015, they played in Jacksonville, with the Panthers winning 20-9.

Jaguars rookie Travis Hunter makes his NFL debut, QB Trevor Lawrence returns after offseason surgery on his non-throwing shoulder, and new head coach Liam Coen and new GM James Gladstone will roll out their new offense and new vision for the Jacksonville franchise.

Do the Jaguars get off on the right foot, or will Carolina once again drop the Jaguars to 0-1 to start a season?

Let's see what our experts have to say.

DEMETRIUS HARVEY

Times-Union Jaguars beat writer

Jaguars 24, Panthers 10

The Jaguars should be ahead of the Panthers in terms of personnel. This is a must-win from an optics perspective, and I think they'll satisfy fans.

Season: 0-0 (11-6 in 2024)

MIKE DiROCCO

ESPN

Jaguars 28, Panthers 20

Everyone is hoping Liam Coen can flip the Jaguars' run game the way he did the Bucs' run game: Going from last in 2023 to fourth in 2024. Maybe he can. But the bigger issue is whether he can have the same kind of impact on Trevor Lawrence that he did with Baker Mayfield . I think he can, and Lawrence kicks off his fifth season with a big game.

Season: 0-0 (9-8 in 2024)

RYAN O'HALLORAN

Times-Union Sports columnist

Jaguars 28, Panthers 20

Two ways to illustrate why the Jaguars should emphasize the running game against Carolina:

1. The Panthers allowed 179.8 yards rushing per game last year; the next-closest team was New Orleans at 141.4. The disparity of 38.4 from second-worst to worst was the largest in the NFL since at least 1981.

2. The Panthers allowed 3,057 rushing yards, third-worst in the Super Bowl Era (1966), behind only the 1978 Buffalo Bills (3,228) and the 1980 New Orleans Saints (3,106).

Run games are traditionally slow to gain traction early in the season because the strain and physicality of run-blocking isn't practiced at full-game speed for fear of injury.

But because Carolina was so bad stopping the run last year, the Jaguars should spread out the carries to Travis Etienne , Tank Bigsby and maybe even both rookies ( Bhayshul Tuten and LeQuint Allen) to ground out an opening-day win. Set a goal of 40 rush attempts.

Season: 0-0 (New in 2025. The retired Gene Frenette was 9-8 in 2024)

GARRY SMITS

Times-Union Sports reporter

Jaguars 31, Panthers 24

This comes down to which team did the most to improve awful defenses during the offseason.

Let's examine this, shall we?

The Jaguars cleaned house on the coaching staff, brought in Khalen Saunders Sr., and Austin Johnson on the interior of the line, drafted Jack Kiser and signed Dennis Gardeck at linebacker, signed Jourdan Lewis and Eric Murray and drafted Travis Hunter for help in the secondary.

The Panthers retained coordinator Ejiro Evero (who was retained from the Frank Reich Era), signed extras from The Replacements and drafted edge rushers Princely Umanmielen , who was last seen in the state of Florida trying to bull-rush fans at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium with more energy than he had on the field when his former team, the Gators, knocked Ole Miss out of the playoffs; and Nic Scourton of Texas A&M, who was somehow voted All-SEC by the league's coaches despite having a half-sack in the final six games.

Season: 0-0 (10-7 in 2024)

JUSTON LEWIS

Times-Union Sports reporter

Jaguars 27, Panthers 17

With Carolina licking its wounds on offense, I think there's opportunity for Liam Coen and Jacksonville's offense to outpace the Panthers.

Season: 0-0 (12-5 in 2024)

Florida Times-Union sports reporter Juston Lewis shown in portrait Tuesday, July 22, 2025 at Miller Electric Center in Jacksonville, Fla.

CLAYTON FREEMAN

Times-Union Sports reporter

Jaguars 26, Panthers 21

Carolina may not be as dismal as in the "Drink Toss" game of New Year's Eve 2023, but the Panthers still ranked last in the NFL in defense for both scoring and yardage last year. Liam Coen knows what works (or at least did work) against them: His Bucs offense took the Panthers apart in December for 48 points and 551 yards in December.

Season: 0-0 (13-4 in 2024)

TIM WALTERS

Times-Union Sports Editor

Panthers 20, Jaguars 16

I picked the Jaguars way too many times last season and my record showed. I was 8-9 and finished last among our seven experts. The Jaguars have a new coach, new GM, new executive VP, a quarterback returning from surgery and a two-way player with way too many expectations heading into the season. The Panthers have a returning QB who was on the up last season and an offensive-minded head coach who was the Buccaneers' offensive coordinator prior to Liam Coen. I just like the Panthers in this matchup.

Season: 0-0 (8-9 in 2024)

USA TODAY NETWORK-FLORIDA Deputy State Sports Editor Tim Walters

This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Panthers at Jaguars predictions: Staff picks for NFL Week 1 2025

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