The NFL regular season is here, and the Jacksonville Jaguars will face the Carolina Panthers on Sunday, Sept. 7, at 1 p.m. at EverBank Stadium.
The Jaguars still have faith in quarterback Trevor Lawrence, and they spent the offseason acquiring tools to help him be successful. They hired a new head coach in Liam Coen, who was previously the offensive coordinator for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He helped Tampa’s offense become one of the best in the NFL last season, and the Jaguars are expecting big things from him. He has been working closely with Lawrence through the offseason on his footwork and throwing motion.
Jacksonville also spent some money in free agency this offseason to strengthen the offensive line, signing Robert Hainsey, Patrick Mekari, Fred Johnson and Chuma Edoga. This should take some of the pressure off Lawrence, who simply must be better this season. He is coming off his worst season in the NFL, and his future in Jacksonville could be at risk if he doesn’t find some consistency.
The Jaguars also moved up in this year’s draft to bring Travis Hunter to Duval. Hunter played on both offense and defense at the University of Colorado, and Coen is hoping he will be able to do the same thing in Jacksonville. Hunter will be one of Lawrence’s main targets at receiver along with Brian Thomas Jr. Both have the size to fend off defenders and should do well in Coen’s offensive system.
One area of Jacksonville’s game that must be better this season is defense. Last season, the defense struggled to apply any type of pressure and ranked among the bottom in the NFL in sacks. The pass rush has to be better, and it starts with Josh Hines-Allen and Travon Walker.
The Jaguars believe they finally got it right this offseason and will be looking to compete for the AFC South title. In order to do that, Lawrence has to stay healthy, the defense has to actually defend, and the running game has to make a return. If they can do that, Jacksonville could become a real threat in the AFC this season.
