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NFL insider predicts Panthers will upset the Jaguars in Week 1 matchup

The Carolina Panthers will be making their second appearance in Jacksonville in three seasons. One NFL writer feels Dave Canales's team emerges with a victory.
Russell Baxter|
Aug 16, 2025; Houston, Texas, USA; Carolina Panthers head coach Dave Canales looks on from the sideline during the game against the Houston Texans at NRG Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-Imagn Images
Aug 16, 2025; Houston, Texas, USA; Carolina Panthers head coach Dave Canales looks on from the sideline during the game against the Houston Texans at NRG Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-Imagn Images | Troy Taormina-Imagn Images

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Carolina Panthers

The 2025 NFL season kicks off Thursday night at Philadelphia when the Eagles clash with the Cowboys. On Friday night at São Paulo, the Chiefs and Chargers renew acquaintances. On Sunday, September 7, 26 teams take the field. That includes a pair of franchises that both entered the league in 1995.

Jeremy Cluff of the Arizona Republic gives his thoughts on the Week 1 clash between the Carolina Panthers and the Jacksonville Jaguars. The teams are meeting for the second time in three years, with Jacksonville coming away with a 26-0 victory at home in 2023. Cluff has a much different outcome this time around, with Dave Canales’s club emerging with a 23-20 road victory.

“The Panthers were just 5-12 last season,” explained Cluff, “but they had some very close losses against good teams. Bryce Young and company will start the 2025 season off with a close win over the Jaguars.”

Panthers picked to win their season opener for first time since 2021

Chiefs Panthers
Nov 24, 2024; Charlotte, North Carolina, USA; Carolina Panthers running back Chuba Hubbard (30) celebrates with tight end Feleipe Franks (84) after scoring on a two point conversion to tie the score late in the fourth quarter at Bank of America Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-Imagn Images | Bob Donnan-Imagn Images

He makes a valid point. After a 1-7 start in 2024, Carolina won four of its final nine games. In those final nine contests, there were some ugly losses to the Cowboys (30-14) and at Tampa Bay (48-14). However, there was also a promising three-game stretch from Weeks 12-14, albeit all losses, in which Canales’s squad fell to the playoff-bound Chiefs (30-27), Buccaneers (26-23 in OT) and Eagles (22-16), respectively, by a combined 12 points.

Perhaps the biggest obstacle for the Panthers is their own history. The franchise has dropped three straight season openers dating back to 2022. Of course, that includes last season’s 47-10 setback to the Saints at New Orleans.

The Jaguars have a new head coach in Liam Coen, who followed a path to that position identical to Canales. The latter was the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ offensive coordinator in 2023 before being hired by the Panthers. That was the same role that Coen served with the Bucs this past season, and now he hopes to get the Jaguars (4-13 in 2024) back on track.

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Russell Baxter
RUSSELL BAXTER

Russell S. Baxter has been writing and researching the game of football for more than 40 years, and on numerous platforms. That includes television, as he spent more than two decades at ESPN, and was part of shows that garnered five Emmy Awards. He also spent the 2015 NFL season with Thursday Night Football on CBS/NFLN.