The Jacksonville Jaguars
suffered their first defeat of the 2026 preseason on Friday night, falling 34-17 to the Carolina Panthers at EverBank Stadium.With Liam Coen once again choosing to rest virtually all of his established starters, this was primarily an opportunity for Jacksonville’s depth players to stake their claim for roster spots. Unfortunately for the Jaguars, too many of those players failed to make the most of their opportunity.
Here are three reasons why Jacksonville came up short.
The Jaguars were their own worst enemy
Perhaps the biggest issue was simply the number of mistakes Jacksonville made.
The Jaguars committed nine penalties for 60 yards in the first half alone, while also giving the ball away twice during the game. That included Carter Bradley’s second-quarter interception, which proved particularly costly.
Jacksonville trailed 10-3 when Bradley’s pass was picked off at the Jaguars’ 29-yard line. Carolina needed only three plays to turn the short field into a touchdown, with A.J. Dillon’s seven-yard run making it 17-3.
That sequence effectively changed the game. Instead of potentially going into halftime within one score, Jacksonville suddenly found itself chasing a two-touchdown deficit.
For a group of players competing for roster spots, it was a particularly frustrating aspect of the performance. Preseason games are about giving coaches reasons to keep you around, and too many Jaguars gave them reasons to worry instead.
Jacksonville couldn’t stop the run
The Jaguars’ run defense was another major problem.
Carolina’s starting offense had little trouble moving the ball on the ground, and Jacksonville surrendered 7.1 yards per carry on 13 rushing attempts in the first half. By the end of the night, the Panthers were averaging 5.3 yards per carry.
That was particularly damaging because Carolina was able to establish the run while Jacksonville’s offense struggled to keep pace.
Jonathon Brooks opened the scoring with a one-yard touchdown, while A.J. Dillon added another seven-yard rushing score in the second quarter. Carolina ultimately produced six scoring drives, consistently putting pressure on a Jacksonville defense that struggled to get off the field.
There were some encouraging individual moments, particularly from Branson Combs, who pressured Bryce Young into an incompletion on third down during Carolina’s opening possession — but the overall run defense simply wasn’t good enough.
That’s something defensive coordinator Anthony Campanile will undoubtedly want cleaned up before the Jaguars get into the regular season.
The offense couldn’t turn early promise into touchdowns
The Jaguars actually started reasonably well offensively.
Nick Mullens completed six of his seven passes for 65 yards on the opening possession, while Ameer Abdullah looked particularly impressive. The veteran running back rushed for 45 yards on just six carries and added three catches for 37 yards.
But Jacksonville repeatedly settled for field goals rather than touchdowns.
Cam Little was excellent, going three-for-three on field-goal attempts, but Jacksonville only scored on three of their first seven drives, and they were all three points. Two came in the first half, and that left the Jaguars trailing 20-6 at halftime despite some encouraging work from Mullens and the young receivers.
Carter Bradley struggled after taking over, completing six of 13 passes for 51 yards and throwing the costly interception. Rookie Joey Aguilar provided a much-needed spark in the second half, completing nine of 10 passes for 130 yards and a touchdown, but by then Carolina had built a 27-6 lead.
The performance of the rookie receivers was a positive — Josh Cameron and C.J. Williams both showed promise — but the offense simply didn’t produce enough when it mattered.
The bottom line
This isn’t a result Jaguars fans should be overly concerned about.
Trevor Lawrence, Brian Thomas Jr., Jakobi Meyers, Travis Hunter, Brenton Strange and the vast majority of Jacksonville’s established starters didn’t play. The offensive line was essentially a third-string unit, too, as the Jaguars continue to take a cautious approach following a series of injuries.
But for the players fighting for the final roster spots, this was a missed opportunity.
Too many penalties, an inconsistent run defense and an inability to turn promising drives into touchdowns allowed Carolina to pull away — and Jacksonville will need considerably better from its depth before the regular season arrives.
