Why Liam Coen Gives Jaguars Invaluable Edge Over Panthers

The Jacksonville Jaguars have an underrated advantage over the Carolina Panthers in their season opener, by way of Head Coach Liam Coen.

Sep 8, 2024; Tampa, Florida, USA; Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield (6) talks with offensive coordinator Liam Coen against the Washington Commanders during the first half at Raymond James Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images | Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images

Football is a game of inches. That's true literally, because an inch can determine the difference between a game-winning touchdown and a turnover on downs. It's also figurative, in the sense that a team needs to find every advantage it can against an opponent, no matter how insignificant it may seem at first.

Head Coach Liam Coen understands this. He's hoping to turn a 4-13 Jacksonville Jaguars squad from last season into a legitimate playoff threat this year. Despite their abysmal showing in 2024, the Jags have the talent necessary for Coen to maximize and lead to postseason relevance once again.

While there are plenty of promising playmakers on both sides of the ball on the roster, Jacksonville is by no means a surefire lock to make the playoffs or even have a winning season. The Jaguars will likely have to fight and claw for every victory they collect in the 2025 NFL campaign. It'll all start in Week 1 against the Carolina Panthers.

Aug 17, 2025; New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; Jacksonville Jaguars head coach Liam Coen walks the sidelines against the Jacksonville Jaguars during the second half at Caesars Superdome. Mandatory Credit: Stephen Lew-Imagn Images | Stephen Lew-Imagn Images

Liam Coen has experience coaching against Panthers

Coming off his 2024 season as offensive coordinator for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, there's a lot of optimism that Liam Coen can engineer a similar renaissance for the Jacksonville Jaguars' attack and quarterback Trevor Lawrence. The team's first game against the Carolina Panthers will also mark his debut as an NFL head coach.

However, he'll bring invaluable experience into the Jaguars' season opener after facing the Panthers twice last year with the Bucs. Speaking to Jacksonville media, he stated that he expects to see some familiar looks from Carolina in the season opener:

"We definitely go back and look because I don’t think the overall structure will change. I do believe that we will see some unscouted looks for sure, whether it’s a personnel grouping or whether it’s a blitz or coverage, or something along those lines. I don’t think they probably altered their entire structure, so yeah, you definitely go back and look at what was successful twice last year playing those guys."

"What fits, what we’ve done well up to this point, and we can kind of use those schemes or concepts to our advantage, but they’ve definitely added some players via free agency and the draft as well. So, you’re just curious to see maybe how they’re going to utilize those players, if that impacts and affects their defensive structure at all.”

Presenting your 2025 Draft Class 🎉@budlight | #NFLDraft pic.twitter.com/rx1oKjIoAo

— Carolina Panthers (@Panthers) April 26, 2025

Coen and the Bucs swept the Panthers last season, including a Week 17 beatdown that saw Tampa Bay drop 48 points and 558 total yards of offense. Hopefully, Liam Coen can continue his win streak against Carolina in his head coaching debut for the Jaguars.

Find us on X (Twitter) @JaguarsOnSI and @_John_Shipley to follow along with our Jaguars' Week 1 updates.

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