In 1995, the Carolina Panthers and Jacksonville Jaguars entered the National Football League together as the league’s newest expansion franchises, expanding the presence of pro football in the southeast and giving the Carolinas and northeast Florida a team to cheer for on Sundays. Thirty years after they first took the field, the Panthers and Jaguars will open their 2025 seasons in a head-to-head matchup as they chart a course for their futures.

For the Panthers, this game gives them a chance to act on optimism that they may finally be on the right track, as Carolina became an exciting and competitive team down the stretch of the 2024 season despite just a 5-12 record to show for it. Much of that was fueled by the resurgence of young quarterback Bryce Young after an early season benching, and the hope now is that Young’s ascendance as well as the team’s overall ascendance under second-year coach Dave Canales continues.

Meanwhile, the Jaguars are beginning again under yet another new coach, as first-timer Liam Coen takes over after the Jags spent the last three seasons under the direction of former Super Bowl-winning coach Doug Pederson. After winning the AFC South and winning a playoff game in 2022, the Jaguars fell apart down the stretch of the 2023 season before completely imploding at 4-13 a year ago, which led to the introduction of Coen as well as new general manager James Gladstone — whose first major move came during thre NFL Draft when he orchestrated a trade up to the No. 2-overall pick in order to select Heisman Trophy winner Travis Hunter, a rare two-way player at wide receiver and cornerback.

Where to watch Panthers vs. Jaguars

When: Sunday, Sept. 7 | Time: 1 p.m. ET
Where: EverBank Stadium — Jacksonville, Florida
TV: Fox | Stream: Fubo (Try for free)

Panthers vs. Jaguars: Need to know

Ickey Ekwonu recovering from appendicitis: The Panthers enter Sunday’s game with question marks over the status of left tackle Ikem Ekwonu, who underwent an emergency appendectomy on Aug. 24 after being diagnosed with appendicitis. Coach Dave Canales suggested Aug. 27 that Ekwonu’s status could be uncertain all the way up until game time, and Ekwonu remained out of practice on Monday, though he told reporters that he is “feeling better every day.” In the event that Ekwonu cannot play, the Panthers would likely turn to veteran backup Yosh Nijman.

Travis Hunter’s usage: What makes Travis Hunter special is his ability to play both wide receiver and cornerback at an extremely high level, making him a rare two-way talent seldom seen in the modern day NFL. Hunter split time at both positions during training camp and he also saw snaps on both sides of the ball during the preseason, but he was sidelined in the latter portion of August by an upper body injury. Exactly how Hunter is deployed, and his workload overall in his NFL debut, will be something to monitor throughout the game on opening day.

Super Bowl preview?: This matchup carries a little extra weight for the Panthers, as history says that a Week 1 win over the Jaguars is a harbinger of big things to come: The Panthers have gone on to play in the Super Bowl both times they’ve beaten the Jaguars in Week 1, first doing so when they pulled off a come from behind win in Week 1 of 2003 to spark a season that ended in them going to Super Bowl XXXIII. And in 2015, a Week 1 win over the Jags launched the best season in Panthers history, as they would dominate the NFL by going 15-1 and all the way to Super Bowl 50 … But a reality check might also be in order as the Panthers haven’t even had a winning record for seven straight seasons.

Panthers vs. Jaguars prediction, pick

The Jaguars are favored in this matchup at -3.5, which may have been expected given their star power and the fact that they are going up against a Panthers team that featured a historically pitiful defense one year ago. However, Carolina was without Pro Bowl defensive tackle Derrick Brown for virtually the entire season, and they still managed to become a team that could play with almost anyone down the stretch, including when they gave the eventual Super Bowl champion Eagles as much as they could handle on the road in Philadelphia. I still expect the excitement of last season’s ending — specifically the complete 180 done by Bryce Young — to carry into 2025, and I think it starts with a win over a Jaguars team that has to prove it’s a cohesive team and not just another collection of talent. Pick: Carolina +3.5