JACKSONVILLE – Senior writer John Oehser, senior correspondent Brian Sexton and team reporter Kainani Stevens offer quick thoughts on the Jaguars’ 26-10 victory over the Carolina Panthers in a 2025 Week 1 game at EverBank Stadium in Jacksonville Sunday

John Oehser, Jaguars Senior Writer…

1. Wow. Just wow. We have an entire regular season and many weeks to analyze Xs and Os. We'll use this early quick thought to emphasize what must be emphasized – that if you're a Jaguars fan, Sunday's debut of the Head Coach Liam Coen era was fun. Really, really fun. "It feels great, the direction we're heading," quarterback Trevor Lawrence said. The Jaguars on Sunday not only did what they wanted on offense, which was to establish – and dominate with – the run, they also accomplished a major preseason goal by forcing three takeaways. Two of those takeaways led to 10 first-half points, with the Jaguars leading 20-3 at halftime with 134 rushing yards and a 262-121 yardage advantage. Lawrence looked solid throughout. The Jaguars overall overcame adversity well. The run defense did a nice job against a team that considers itself a good running team. And the Jaguars' team speed – particularly on offense – showed itself enough to make you think it could be a strength moving forward. "We've got to keep doing it," Lawrence said. "Consistency is what will be the difference, and we have to continue to prepare and play well." Lawrence is right. One victory guarantees nothing for the long-term. But if you're a Jaguars fan, you haven't had enough fun days in recent seasons. Having one to open a new regime was cool.
2. A good, good start. The phrase "good start" applied to many Jaguars areas Sunday. Lawrence. A defense that played big in a lot of big moments. The way the team handled a 66-minute weather delay. But we're using "good start" here to discuss an offensive line that was a major storyline entering Sunday. "Those guys up front I thought played really well at times," Coen said. First: Lawrence was not sacked Sunday, and appeared at first glance to be well-protected for the most part. "I really did feel like they were protecting their tails off," Coen said. "I didn't feel like he was under a ton of duress. I thought those guys did a nice in protection." Second: The Jaguars rushed for 200 yards on 32 carries, with running back Travis Etienne Jr. rushing for 143 yards on 16 carries. "The guys up front, the most selfless guys we got, and they just are grinding it out," Lawrence said. "We ran it a lot, and they wanted to keep doing it, and they did a great job moving people. We were ready. We had a good plan." The Jaguars spent a lot of the offseason focused on revamping the offensive line. A solid start for the group is a good sign moving forward.

Brian Sexton, Senior Correspondent…

1. F.A.S.T. is what Coen promised. The Jaguars had his back Sunday. He wanted them to play Fundamentally Sound – and in many areas they were, most prominently on run defense where they came up big in short-yardage situations with strong tackling. He wanted an Aggressive posture, and he delivered that himself with the fourth-down conversion at his own 39-yard line on the opening drive of the game. Situational Mastery was on display at the end of the first half when the Jaguars used 46 of the 47 seconds on the clock to navigate 44 yards and add a field goal that made it 20-3 at the half. They also played Tough, with a huge stop on fourth down with the Panthers at their five-yard line, not giving up any points after a pass interference call on cornerback Jarrian Jones. They did it again when cornerback Tyson Campbell made a beautiful play on Panthers wide receiver Tetairoa McMillian on the goal line on fourth down to prevent a touchdown. The Jaguars responded Sunday, something they did not do in 2024. It was fun to watch a F.A.S.T. team.
2. They were far from perfect. The offense struggled to convert on third down and the defense allowed the Panthers some easy third-down conversions. The Jaguars pressured the quarterback but didn't get home and allowed Young to hurt them with his legs, getting out of the pocket and getting up the field. There were dropped passes and too many penalty flags for any football coach to like, and no doubt the coaching staff will discover much more to correct. But it was overall a nice change from what we watched all last season – a tough, resilient team that overcame mistakes and never let up.

Kainani Stevens, Jaguars Team Reporter/Producer ...

1. What a difference a year makes. A year ago, Etienne fumbled at the goal line against the Miami Dolphins in Week 1. The Jaguars went on to lose that game, which I believe was the beginning of the end for the 2024 season. Etienne shined Sunday, rushing for 143 yard on 16 carries. Entering a contract season in a crowded running back room, Etienne is playing more motivated than ever. Coen learned last year that it takes a strong run game to have success against the Panthers and that was clearly the focus Sunday. All four Jags running backs – Etienne, Tank Bigsby, rookie Bhayshul Tuten and rookie LeQuint Allen Jr. – saw the field and all contributed in their own way. However, I think Etienne silenced the doubters Sunday and solidified his starting role.
2. Resiliency in every aspect was the highlight of the day. Last season's Jaguars team never figured out how to roll with the punches. It was a constant feeling of waiting for the other shoe to drop. Against the Panthers, more than a few things went wrong for the Jaguars. Penalties, inefficiency on offense and a 66-minute rain delay in the middle of the second quarter. It was far from perfect, but for the first time in a long time the Jaguars didn't quit. Coen has preached resiliency since arriving here in January, and the players took those words to heart Sunday and showed it on the grass.