The Carolina Panthers started their 2026 preseason schedule off with a bang, walking off on the Arizona Cardinals thanks to a last-second touchdown in a thrilling Hall of Fame Game. They then followed that up with a whimper, getting whooped by the Buffalo Bills on the road, 29-14, on Saturday afternoon.
For their third preseason matchup of the summer, the end result is likely to fall somewhere in between those two extremes—but it's difficult to project how any game in August is going to go. Well, at least we have some idea of the Jacksonville Jaguars' plans—thanks to head coach Liam Coen, who told reporters on Monday that his goal is to play his starters "a little" on Friday night versus the Panthers.
"That's the goal right now is to look at potentially
playing 'em a little Friday night." Coach Coen on the starters suiting up against Carolina. 🎟️: https://t.co/yNALuC0fnM pic.twitter.com/PmsPWyLeuR
— Jacksonville Jaguars (@Jaguars) August 17, 2026
The last time these two teams squared off was in Week 1 of the 2025 campaign, Coen's first game at the helm in Jacksonville. The Panthers were soundly beaten in that matchup, 26-10, as they struggled on both sides of the ball.
That was the case with their starters this past weekend in Orchard Park, N.Y. The offense compiled three three-and-outs on their only three possessions while the defense offered little resistance against Bills quarterback Josh Allen and company.
Carolina's first units, however, are expected to get a chance at redemption in this next preseason tilt. As stated by head coach Dave Canales on Monday, the Panthers' starters will be getting quite a bit of work between Wednesday's joint practice and Friday's exhibition.
"The joint practice—they're gonna get a good load," Canales told reporters. "We've been working with Coach Coen, Shane Waldron—one of my friends from Seattle—we've been going back and forth, just making sure we throw a great practice and hit some different situations.
"And then, the plan is to play 'em all in the game, too. And then, of course, it just depends on how we come out of today, how we come out of tomorrow, to see where guys are at."
The preseason matchup, which takes place at EverBank Stadium, will kick off at 7:30 p.m. ET.
Follow @ThePanthersWire on Twitter/X for more Panthers content.
This article originally appeared on Panthers Wire: Jaguars HC Liam Coen hints at plan for preseason game vs. Panthers
