It must be rough to play offensive line in the NFL. You can protect your quarterback all day long without recognition, but the moment you allow a sack, you're destined for the headlines (or the sidelines). Thankfully, the big guys up front for the Jacksonville Jaguars took that to heart.
Not only did they provide a clean pocket for quarterback Trevor Lawrence, but they racked up stats that went largely unnoticed. Looking back, the team's focus on improving the trenches paid off.
Offensive coordinator Grant Udinski stressed competition throughout training camp, aiming for versatility along the line. Additionally, they brought in four free agents—Robert Hainsey, Patrick Mekari, Chuma Edoga, and Fred Johnson—and drafted two rookies—Wyatt Milum in the third round and Jonah Monheim in the seventh.
Will Johnson is now with the Eagles, and Milum didn't suit up; the rest came through against the Panthers.
Related: Jaguars voice just shared head-turning theory behind Tank Bigsby trade
Jaguars' offensive line protects Trevor Lawrence all day
The Jaguars' offensive line allowed the lowest pressure rate at 12.5 percent and tied for the lowest sack rate—though, to be fair, you can't really do better than allowing zero sacks. Head coach Liam Coen praised the unit the following day, specifically highlighting Anton Harrison (3:52 mark).
"I was pleased with Anton, especially in pass protection, and the whole group, but specifically Anton," Coen said. "In the run game, [he] did some really good things. So, I was pleased with his effort, strain, the way that he was battling through a little bit of a nick, [and even] came out for a short period, but I was pleased with his first outing."
Lawrence had all day to throw. He took advantage of that freedom to deliver... a mediocre performance: He went 19-for-31 with 178 yards, a touchdown, and an interception. Okay, that's not fair. I get it. And I'm a fan of No. 16—I think he's got the potential to play great, and I've got high hopes for this season. But, as fellow Black-and-Tealer Jeff Tice points out, we may need to lower our expectations.
But you know what? I'm not going to. Not yet.
What's worse is that despite playing a near-perfect game, the Jaguars' offensive line still doesn't get any love. X fans let their (often bad) opinions be known.
I promise it’s a poor reflection of Ejiro Evero and not a shining reflection of the Jags OL. I promise.
— Evan Elliott (@ElliottEvan24) September 10, 2025
Think this is more of an indictment on how bad the Panthers pass rush is.
— Grant (@garantula21) September 10, 2025
Doesn’t count against the Panthers
— 𝔸𝕔𝕣𝕠𝕤𝕤 𝕋𝕙𝕖 ℙ𝕠𝕟𝕕 ℙ𝕒𝕟𝕥𝕙𝕖𝕣 (@KeepPonding) September 10, 2025
Related: Rich Eisen just made hilarious Liam Coen prediction for Jaguars vs. Bengals game
Final thoughts
With just one regular-season game under their belts, the Jaguars still have a lot of unanswered questions. Was the offensive line's massive success a result of a poor outing by the Carolina Panthers? Will the unit continue to run block as well as they did? Will Lawrence use the protection to have a breakout season?
Stay tuned.