The Jacksonville Jaguars welcome the Carolina Panthers to EverBank Stadium on Sunday as the 2025 NFL season gets underway. Here are three key battles to keep an eye on:
Brian Thomas vs Jaycee Horn
You can tell real football has returned! Preseason whetted the
appetite, but now is when results really matter, and as such we can have much more confidence in who we see on the field. And as it’s Week 1, we’re going to have a heavy focus on the star players on both sides of the ball…
After an incredible college career that finished with him hoisting the Heisman Trophy in New York, there are big expectations for Travis Hunter, and no doubt he’ll have the cameras on him for his NFL debut. But the best matchup to be found involving the Jaguars’ offense will be second year receiver Brian Thomas going up against Jaycee Horn. Thomas took just one season to stake his claim as one of the top ten pass catchers in the league, posting nearly 1,300 yards and 10 TD’s as he developed a strong chemistry with Trevor Lawrence. With some significant change at the position and Hunter making the step up, there’s a heap of pressure on Thomas to replicate a 2024 season that saw him earn All-Rookie and Pro Bowl honors.
He starts with a tough task. Despite some lean years in Charlotte, Jaycee Horn has shined for the Panthers. 2024 was his best season to date, seeing Horn join Thomas at the Pro Bowl after registering an impressive 68 tackles and 13 pass breakups in 15 games. Carolina are undergoing something of a transformation as they try and find their identity, but showed just how much they valued their star quarterback by tying him down to a 4 year, $100m deal back in March. Horn is the leader of a young secondary with similar leadership responsibilities to Thomas, and whoever comes out on top of this battle likely swings the probability of a victory in their team’s favor on Sunday.
Chuba Hubbard vs Foye Oluokun
Panthers Head Coach Dave Canales and his offensive coordinator Brad Idzik worked tirelessly to change the culture of the Panthers in 2024, the first season of their reign in Carolina. And by the end of the season, this Panthers offense was quietly one of the most potent in the NFL. There are still some question marks about the passing game, with Bryce Love still to win over some doubters; but this unit succeeds when they are able to run the football, and they lean heavily on Chuba Hubbard to do just that.
After an impressive college career at Oklahoma State, Hubbard flew under the radar in the 2021 NFL Draft, finally coming off the board in the 4th round. He was an effective contributor to the Panthers his first three years in the league, but his production EXPLODED in 2024 when Canales entered the building; Hubbard had the best year of his pro career, enjoying nearly 1,200 rushing yards and 10 TD’s at an impressive 4.8 yards per carry. Reliable out of the backfield as a receiving option too, Hubbard has evolved into one of the more dangerous ball carriers in the league with a 3-down game set to test the Jaguars on Sunday.
There have been questions levelled at Jacksonville’s linebacker corps the past twelve months, some with merit. But nobody can suggest that Foye Oluokun hasn’t pulled his weight since coming to the team from the Atlanta Falcons in 2022. In the past five years alone, Olukon has made an astonishing 774 tackles, never once falling below 100 a season (and in some cases pushing 200, leading the league in 2022 and 2023). Last year, he missed four games with a foot injury but still cleared 100 takedowns, showing his value to the team and justifying the four year, $45m deal he signed prior to the season. If Foye can keep Hubbard quiet and put the pressure on Young to win the game for the Panthers, the Jags will feel confident of a Week 1 win.
Josh Hines-Allen vs Brady Christensen?
The news that starting left tackle Ikem Ekwonu has undergone emergency appendectomy surgery should be of interest to Jags fans. The fourth year pro has been a mainstay on the blindside for the Panthers since being taken in the first round in 2022. As a rookie, Ekwonu started all 17 games for Carolina and allowed the fewest pressures by any rookie that season. Since then Ekwonu has been a rock on the offensive line, with 49 starts in three years. But his recent surgery means the Panthers have listed him as ‘day to day’ heading into Sunday’s clash. Considering it’s been less than seven days since surgery, it’s unsurprising to hear Ekwonu hasn’t trained at all this week, and a remarkable recovery would be required to see him suit up against the Jags.
That suggests that Brady Christensen is likely to step in. Christensen, who has spent all his career with the Panthers, has seen plenty of action his four years in the league. But the former BYU lineman hasn’t been able to lock down a starting job, and defensive coordinator Ejiro Evero seems to prefer him inside at left guard. Not the greatest of situations when you’re going up against a Pro Bowl edge rusher with 53 sacks to his name…
Josh Hines-Allen saw a regression in his numbers last year after an incredible 2023 campaign saw him set the franchise record for sacks in a season (17.5). That production earned him a five year, $150m contract, and he will be chomping at the bit to hit those sorts of highs in black and teal once more. Sunday’s battle against Christensen could be a real advantage for the Jaguars, and help their star pass rusher get the 2025 season off to a flying start.
