Jaguars Get the Nod in Preseason Toss-Up Despite Coin-Flip Spread

The preseason opener brings Carolina to Jacksonville in what the oddsmakers are calling dead even, but we're leaning Jaguars at +1.5 with moderate confidence. Here's the deal: Coach Liam Coen is mulling over playing his starters, including Trevor Lawrence, while the Panthers limp into TIAA Bank Field without their starting bookends—Ikem Ekwonu and Taylor Moton are both shelved. That's not ideal when you're trying to evaluate anything resembling real offense.

Jacksonville averaged nearly 28 points per game last preseason compared to Carolina's pedestrian 18.3, and that gap matters even in August football. The Jaguars have home turf, better offensive infrastructure, and potentially more first-team reps if Coen decides to let Lawrence sling it for a quarter. Meanwhile, the Panthers' patchwork offensive line situation creates uncertainty about how much we'll even see Bryce Young operate under center before they wrap him in bubble wrap.

It's preseason, so nothing's guaranteed, but taking the home team getting points when they've shown superior scoring ability and the visitors are down two starting linemen? That's the kind of value that makes sense even in glorified scrimmages. Jaguars plus the hook.