The Jacksonville Jaguars are looking to make a big statement this season, proving the league is wrong to underestimate them. The Houston Texans are assumed to take the AFC South again, but there is good reason to believe the Jaguars could give them a run for their money.
Luckily, the Jaguars schedule starts off with a couple of opponents they should be able to beat - the Carolina Panthers and the Cincinnati Bengals - though that doesn't mean the team should be cavalier. Of those two teams, the Panthers in particular don't pose a huge threat, which on its own is good news for the Jags. Every team wants to start the season off with a win, setting the standard for how the rest of the season will (hopefully) go.
Yet while the Panthers are one of the worse teams in the league, that doesn't mean they don't have any good players on their roster. Bryce Young in particular has a lot of potential, and Jalen Coker had an impressive 2024 season; he was likewise projected to have an even better year in 2025.
Then the worst happened.
Jalen Coker injury makes a Jaguars win that much more likely
Coker came to Carolina as an undrafted free agent, and then shocked everyone with how good his performance was. He was expected to have another breakout season, and he still might - but he's going to miss Week 1 with a quad injury.
As SI's John Shipley pointed out, this gives the Jaguars an advantage against the Panthers. "Considering Coker flashed more than fellow Panthers' second-year receiver Xavier Leggette -- who struggled mightedly as a rookie -- this is a serious blow for Week 1," he wrote.
The Jaguars offense is predicted to show a lot of improvement in 2025, but the defense has to overcome a much worse deficit. Jacksonville had one of the worst defensive units in the league in 2024, and though there is a new defensive coordinator in Anthony Campanile, preseason performance still left room for concern.
So knowing one of Carolina's most explosive wide receivers won't be playing is a huge setback for the Panthers, and a benefit for the Jaguars. Carolina will now need to rely almost entirely on rookie Tetairoa McMillan, and that's a lot of responsibility for any new player to take on. McMillan could still prove to be a major threat, and the Jaguars defense is not yet a unit to be fear in the league - but with only McMillan healthy alongside Xavier Legette, who is still a work in progress too, it could make the job a little easier.