The Carolina Panthers will open their 2025 NFL season against the Jacksonville Jaguars on Sunday afternoon at EverBank Stadium.
Thirty years after they entered the league together, the Panthers and Jaguars will meet in the opening game for the third time ever. The Panthers reached the Super Bowl on the other two occasions and will hope to repeat history, while the Jaguars hope Travis Hunter will improve them on both sides of the ball.
Read on for my early Panthers vs. Jaguars predictions and NFL picks for Sunday, Sept 7.
Panthers vs Jaguars predictions
Here are our early thoughts on the spread and total for this week’s game. We will have a full game preview (with a best bet and SGP) later in the week.
Early Panthers vs Jaguars spread pick: Panthers +3.5 (-115)
The Jacksonville Jaguars did little in the preseason to instill confidence on the defensive side of the ball. The secondary is still quite suspect, and it remains to be seen how many snaps Travis Hunter will get on that side of the ball. The preseason also exposed a real lack of depth.
Trevor Lawrence looked comfortable in Liam Coen’s new offense, and he’s got weapons on the outside in Hunter and Brian Thomas Jr. But the offensive line struggled with consistency, and they committed penalties that killed drives.
The Carolina Panthers have to be happy with what they saw from Bryce Young down the stretch of last season, with 10 touchdowns to zero picks in the final three games. While they scored just 23 points in the preseason, Young attempted only eight passes as they protected him from injury.
They also return a very good offensive line that gave up only 36 sacks a season ago. And the addition of first-round pick Tetairoa McMillan gives Young a big target on the outside who can high-point the ball extremely well.
But an abysmal run defense has to take major steps forward if it’s going to succeed this season. The return of Derrick Brown will be a huge help, and they’re expected to have new starters at more than half of their starting positions.
I like the Jaguars to win this game, but I don’t trust them to be able to hold onto an extended lead, given the secondary issues. As long as they’re getting three and the hook, I’ll take the road team to cover the spread.
Early Panthers vs Jaguars total pick: Over 46.5 (-118)
The Panthers had the worst run defense in the NFL last season, and it wasn’t even close. They allowed 179.8 yards per game, over 36 yards more per contest than any other franchise.
Meanwhile, the Jaguars allowed the most passing yards per game. The run defense didn’t fare much better, and they had the fewest takeaways of any team since the NFL expanded to 17 games.
That’s why I’m leaning Over here. I think Hunter’s going to play only about 50% of snaps on the defensive side of the ball in Week 1, based on the reps he’s taking in practice. That could change before we reach Sunday, but Coen’s playing things tight to the vest.
The Panthers have two solid backs who can hurt the Jaguars, and Young looked good down the stretch last season. The improvement on the offensive line will help open up lanes, while the addition of McMillan gives them a playmaker downfield.
Lawrence looked locked in during the preseason, especially against the Saints. His footwork looked better, he was getting rid of the ball quicker, and he looks ready to take a similar step forward to what we saw from Baker Mayfield last year.
Neither of these defenses can be trusted to come up with consistent stops, not to mention you’ve got a kicker in Cam Little who can give the Jaguars points from anywhere inside the 50-yard line. I’ll take the Over at this number.
Panthers vs Jaguars odds
- Panthers vs. Jaguars spread: Jaguars -3
- Panthers vs. Jaguars moneyline: Panthers +134, Jaguars -158
- Panthers vs. Jaguars Over/Under: 46.5
Odds are correct at the time of publishing and are subject to change.
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