Jaguars’ Backups Struggle in Sluggish Loss to Panthers
JACKSONVILLE — The Jacksonville Jaguars’ first action at EverBank Stadium looked vastly different from what occurred in downtown Jacksonville to close out the 2025 season.
Instead of a high-powered, fast-paced postseason matchup, the Jaguars played out a sluggish preseason contest against the Carolina Panthers Friday. Jacksonville, seven months removed from its playoff loss against Buffalo, returned home and suffered a slow-burn 34-17 loss to the former kings of the NFC South.
The Jaguars rested their starters after Liam Coen failed to give a definitive answer regarding their status following Wednesday’s joint practice. Jacksonville quarterback Trevor Lawrence sat out for the second consecutive week, paving the way for the other signal-callers to get important reps ahead of the regular season. Backup quarterback Nick Mullens captained the Jaguars’ offense for the first quarter before Carter Bradley and Joey Aguilar picked up the bulk of the snaps.
Aguilar played the entire second half and threw for 130 yards and a touchdown on 9 of 10 passing.
“I thought today was a good step in the right direction in terms of running the football and getting stuff targeted and communicated the right way,” Coen said.
Carolina played without a slew of defensive cornerstones, including defensive tackle Derrick Brown and outside linebacker Jaelan Phillips, but produced quality pressure on Jacksonville’s injury-depleted offensive line. The Panthers added three tackles for loss, one sack, three quarterback hits and two passes batted down to their astute defensive showing.
The Panthers marched out their offensive starters, but kept them on a short leash. Starting quarterback Bryce Young closed out his two-drive evening with 49 yards on 5-for-6 passing and a 100.7 passer rating.
Despite failing to post jaw-dropping drives or load up the scoreboard, Jaguars journeyman Ameer Abdullah nabbed 45 rushing yards on six carries and another 37 receiving yards.
“You talk about a pro is a pro and a guy that just does everything right,” Coen said. “One of the first guys in the building with Parker and takes care of himself, treats himself the right way in terms of his body and getting his mind right for practice every day, and then was able to show up tonight and obviously look a little bit better than everybody else.”
The Jaguars’ lethargic and penalty ridden outing halted them from generating quality offense. They were called for nine penalties in the opening two frames alone, which set them back immensely.
Mullens curated a 13-play, 71-yard drive to close out the first quarter that brought Jacksonville within the Panthers’ 10-yard line before tight end Hunter Long lined up offside and the ninth-year quarterback was sacked to set up Cam Little for his first ofield goal of the evening.
Aguilar found rookie wideout Trebor Pena across the middle of the field for a 29-yard touchdown with 3:12 remaining in the contest to cap Jacksonville’s offensive efforts.
“I’m proud of Pena again,” Coen said. “He just continues to make plays, be in the right spot at the right time. I think him and Joey have a natural little connection from working together in a lot of these settings in practice.”
Jacksonville gutted out a win in Saturday’s preseason opener against New Orleans in a 14-point comeback victory. Rookie running back J’Mari Taylor muscled his way through the Saints’ front line for a two-yard game-winning touchdown. The 24-20 win marked their first in the preseason since Aug. 23, 2024, against Kansas City.
Jacksonville will suit up for the final time to close out the preseason against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Aug. 28. Kickoff from EverBank Stadium is set for 7:30 p.m.
“That’s what we challenged them with a little bit, to come out and set the tone,” Coen said. “Come out and play fast instead of, ‘All right, we’ve got to get punched in the mouth and then respond.’
“So that was nice to see us be able to come out and start back.”
Category: Feature Sports News, Jacksonville Jaguars, NFL
