Carolina @ Jacksonville preview

Last Meeting ( Sep 25, 2011 ) Jacksonville 10, Carolina 16

Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton was injured in a car accident during the preseason a year and never seemed to be fully healthy during the entire campaign. Fully healthy now, Newton and the Panthers, who rode a stingy defense to the second round of the playoffs in 2014, will kick off season at Jacksonville on Sunday afternoon.

Paced by superstar linebacker Luke Kuechly, Carolina ranked 10th in total defense last season and won the mediocre NFC South Division with a sub-.500 mark. Newton threw for 18 scores and rushed for five more despite a battery of injuries. The Jaguars hope to parlay the continued development of quarterback Blake Bortles, who was just shy of 3,000 yards passing as a rookie, into a playoff spot. But their offense, which ranked 31st in the league last year, is still a work in progress with rookie T.J. Yeldon expected to get a lot of work at running back and unproven wide receiver Allen Robinson as Bortles' top target.

TV: 1 p.m. ET, FOX. LINE: Panthers -3. O/U: 42.5.

ABOUT THE JAGUARS (2014: 3-13, 3rd AFC SOUTH): The Jaguars expected tight end Julius Thomas to be a big part of their offense when they signed him away from Denver in the offseason, but Thomas underwent surgery on his finger Monday and will miss at least three weeks. Yeldon, from Alabama, figures to succeed Toby Gerhart and Denard Robinson as the lead back but he may be eased into the featured role. That leaves a great deal of pressure on Bortles who topped 300 yards just once last year, threw only 11 scoring passes in 14 games and won just twice.

ABOUT THE PANTHERS (2014: 7-8-1, 1st NFC SOUTH): The Panthers lost star wideout Kelvin Benjamin in the preseason, leaving the receiving corps suspect at best. Rookie Devin Funchess could emerge as a top target but he's been hampered by a hamstring injury throughout the preseason, leaving veteran Ted Ginn Jr. and tight end Greg Olson as key cogs. Jonathan Stewart is the lead back but Newton enters this season healthy and will be a threat with his arm and legs once again.

EXTRA POINTS

1. Kuechly, who led the NFL with 153 tackles last season, signed a five-year, $62 million contract on Thursday.

2. The teams haven't played since 2011, when Carolina won 16-10.

3. The Panthers got off to a 3-2 start last year but opened 1-5, 1-5 and 1-3 the three previous seasons.

PREDICTION: Panthers 21, Jaguars 17