JACKSONVILLE – Senior writer John Oehser examines five key plays from the Jaguars’ 26-10 victory over the Carolina Panthers in a 2025 Week 1 game at EverBank Stadium in Jacksonville Sunday

1. Huuuuuuuge run. The Jaguars wanted to run Sunday. They established that in the first half –and a huge running play helped them take control of the game shortly after a second-quarter lightning delay. With the Jaguars leading 10-3 and having forced a punt on the first Panthers post-delay possession, running back Travis Etienne Jr. took a handoff and broke free through the middle of the line for a 71-yard gain to the Panthers 20-yard line. "I have to get 20 more yards on that," Etienne said. "I saw that I got to 20 miles per hour, but clearly that's not enough. I have to get in there Monday, get some 1080s, keep working on my speed because we can't have that anymore. We have to finish those runs, man." Wide receiver Brian Thomas Jr. three plays later scored on a nine-yard reverse run. Drive summary: Four plays, 91 yards, all rushing. Etienne rushed for 143 yards on 16 carries Sunday, with the Jaguars' 200 yards rushing their most since rushing for 243 in a 2022 Week 6 loss to the Indianapolis Colts. "You could feel him all day," Jaguars Head Coach Liam Coen said of Etienne, whose 14- and 17-yard runs on a late fourth-quarter drive led to a field goal that secured the victory. "Proud of him. He did a great job, but the whole unit through the end of the game ran the ball effectively."

2. Hands on the ball. The Jaguars took a 10-3 lead midway through the second quarter on a six-yard pass from Lawrence to tight end Hunter Long, a play set up by the Jaguars' first takeaway of the season. The takeaway came when Jaguars safety Eric Murray – who signed as an unrestricted free agent in March – deflected a pass from Panthers quarterback Bryce Young, with Jaguars linebacker Foyesade Oluokun intercepting at the Panthers 35. "Murray made a great play breaking it up and I saw the ball in the air," Oluokun said. "The tips and overthrows, we said we got to get those, so I saw it in the air. Made sure I caught the ball, and came down with it. It was just a good play all around for the whole defense." Credit the Jaguars for driving methodically after the turnover, rushing five times for 25 yards on the drive before Lawrence's pass to Long. Murray's deflection was one of a slew of big plays by the secondary early Sunday, with cornerback Jourdan Lewis' breaking up a pass from Young to wide receiver Hunter Renfrow on third-and-5 from the Jaguars 30 to force a field goal on the Panthers' opening drive. Murray also broke up a pass to Renfrow with a strong hit in the second quarter, with Lewis forcing an incomplete pass with a well-timed blitz on the ensuing play to force a punt.

3. Fuuuumble!! The Jaguars made multiple big plays in the second quarter to take control of what was a 3-3 tie entering the period. One play not to be overlooked came as the Panthers drove late in the first half with the Jaguars leading 17-3. Thomas' touchdown run had capped the previous possession with 1:50 remaining in the second quarter, but the Panthers had a chance to cut the lead as they drove from their 40-yard line past midfield. On third-and-10 from the Jaguars 39, Young ran seven yards. Oluokun tackled him at the 32, forcing a fumble that Lewis recovered at the 32 with :48 remaining in the second quarter. "He put the ball out as he was stumbling forward," Oluokun said. "He's already going to the ground. Might as well take my shot at it. Got the ball there, and I felt the air come out the side there, so I knew the ball was on the ground. I saw a whole bunch of our guys hustling after the ball, so I assumed we got it and started running." The Jaguars then drove 39 yards in six plays, with kicker Cam Little's 47-yard field goal extending the lead to 20-3 with :01 remaining in the second half.

4. First doooooown! The Jaguars' double-digit lead meant there weren't a slew of big plays in the third and fourth quarter. One worth noting came in early in the fourth quarter, when the Jaguars faced fourth-and-1 at the Panthers 34. Running back Tank Bigsby ran for three yards, extending a drive that ended when Little converted a 36-yard field goal for a 23-3 lead. "That was huge," Coen said. "We definitely had a little bit of a conversation about that one leading into the play. We did want to aggressive in that moment and keep the offense out on the field and kind of challenge our team, challenge these guys. They rose up to the challenge. We got the first, keeps the offense on the grass, keeps the ball moving, keeps the clock moving. That's momentum. We know in this game so much is momentum, the swings and how do you handle them and manage them."

5. Strange ways. Tight end Brenton Strange mattered immediately Sunday – and he was key to the Jaguars grinding their way to an early lead. The Jaguars won the pre-game toss and elected to receiver, overcoming three penalties to drive 55 yards on 13 plays for a 35-yard field goal that gave them a 3-0 lead with 8:15 remaining. Lawrence completed six of nine passes for 73 yards on the drive, including three passes for 49 yards to Strange. Two of those receptions gave the Jaguars first downs as they overcame two holding penalties and an intentional grounding penalty to take the early lead.