Carolina Panthers quarterback Bryce Young (9) touchback as Jacksonville Jaguars defensive end Roy Robertson-Harris (95) and linebacker Foyesade Oluokun (23) defend during the first quarter of a regular season NFL football matchup Sunday, Dec. 31, 2023 at EverBank Stadium in Jacksonville, Fla. The Jacksonville Jaguars blanked the Carolina Panthers 26-0. [Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Union] Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Union / USA TODAY NETWORK

3 bold predictions for Panthers vs. Jaguars Week 1 NFL matchup

Originally posted on Carolina Panthers on SI
By Zach Roberts | Last updated Sep 2, 2025 12:00 PM ET

This week, the Carolina Panthers finally play regular-season football. A meaningful game will take place for the first time since January, or perhaps for the first time since well before that if you don't consider late-season games after the Panthers had no hope of the playoffs meaningful.

Regardless, this is the first official game since that Week 18 shootout in Atlanta, and the first chance to see Bryce Young, Tetairoa McMillan, and the remade defense in action. Here are three bold predictions about what might happen in Jacksonville against the Jaguars.

Bryce Young will throw for 350 yards

Both the Jacksonville Jaguars and Carolina Panthers have horrible defenses, which means the Panthers will have to score a lot to keep up. The Jaguars yielded the most passing yards in the NFL last season.

They do have Travis Hunter now to help that, but he'll play both ways and be probably a little less effective on each side because of it. The Panthers have a resurgent Bryce Young and Tetairoa McMillan.

Young has never thrown for more than 312 yards, so 350 would be a substantial jump, especially with Jalen Coker on IR and Adam Thielen off to Minnesota again. There are pros and cons to Young having a good day, but 350 yards certainly feels bold since the Panthers love to run the ball.

The Panthers defense picks off Trevor Lawrence twice

The Panthers have a decent cornerback tandem that should benefit from the improved pass rush. While neither unit is elite, they should both work together better this season, and it'll start against the Jaguars.

Jacksonville might end up airing it out a lot since the Panthers spent most of their offseason building up the front of that defense. Lawrence and new head coach Liam Coen could have some trouble to start and have to work out the kinks of the offense.

It may not matter because Lawrence is still likely to eclipse 300 yards and have multiple touchdowns, but Jaycee Horn and Mike Jackson will come away with an interception each. For reference, Horn had only one in 2024.

The Panthers win by scoring 45 points

The Panthers offense should be at least as good as it was at the end of last season, but it will probably be better. What did Carolina do in their final outing when the offense truly clicked against a bad defense? They dropped 44 points.

Of course, that was aided by overtime. The last time Carolina scored 45 points in a game was 2017. They just haven't had the offense to achieve that. But with a better offense and a likely need to score that many just to win the game at all, it's certainly possible we see a major outburst.

This article first appeared on Carolina Panthers on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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