The Jacksonville Jaguars will be looking to get off to a strong start to the regular season by beating the Carolina Panthers in the opener. Even though the bout will be at EverBank Field, it could turn out to be a close one.
After all, the Panthers showed progress under Dave Canales last year and should be able to pick up where they left off. One of the biggest beneficiaries of the new head coach was Bryce Young, who made strides in 2024 and is expected to keep improving next season.
Simply put, beating Carolina won't be a walk in the park. Then again, the Jags should feel good about their chances after undergoing a makeover in the offseason. And with that in mind, here are the early odds and a prediction for Week 1 of the 2025 regular season.
Jacksonville Jaguars' early odds for Week 1 vs. the Panthers
FanDuel Sportsbook has the Jaguars as a 3.5-point favorite with a moneyline of -105 against Carolina, according to ESPN BET Sportbook. This means that you can win $100 if you bet $105 and Jacksonville comes out on top. The over/under of the game is set at 46.5 points.
The over sits at -118 (bet $118 to win $100) while the under is -104 (bet $104 to win $100).
Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.
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Travis Hunter is the subject of the bold Jaguars prediction vs. the Panthers
The Jaguars moved up in the NFL Draft to select Travis Hunter because they believe he's a sports-altering talent. And while it remains to be seen whether he can truly play two ways in the NFL, he's trending toward doing so in his regular-season debut.
Hunter missed time in the preseason with an upper-body injury but is good to go, according to head coach Liam Coen. While Jacksonville won't be revealing how they plan to deploy the reigning Heisman Trophy winner, you can bet that he'll get extensive playing time at both corner and receiver. He won't pass up the chance to prove that he hype around him is deserved and will make plays... on both sides of the ball.
At corner, Hunter will log two passes defensed, but his biggest contributions against the Panthers will be on offense, where he'll score his first receiving touchdown of the year and show everyone why the Jaguars didn't hesitate to give up two first-round picks to move up for him.