Panthers Look to Rebound After Dropping Season Opener to Jaguars
“We just gotta do better. We get in the red zone, we just gotta make the play … We just gotta do better next week.”
Rico Dowdle #5 of the Carolina Panthers runs with the ball for a first down during the third quarter against the Jacksonville Jaguars at EverBank Stadium on September 07, 2025 in Jacksonville, Florida.
Photo by Mike Carlson/Getty ImagesThe Carolina Panthers stumbled through their NFL opener. Their much-anticipated start crashed against a wall of mistakes at EverBank Stadium in Jacksonville. Months of sweat and practice melted away in sixty minutes of play.
"We just gotta do better. We get in the red zone, we just gotta make the play ... We just gotta do better next week. For sure [the team is shocked]. The work we put in, it wasn't supposed to end like this," said Xavier Legette per Sports Illustrated.
The attack stalled repeatedly. When chances came, they slipped away. Legette stepped out during a key play that might have changed the game's direction.
"Any time the ball is in the air, those plays gotta be made. I just gotta do better at realigning where I'm at on the field, dragging my foot," Legette said.
Bryce Young's first NFL game turned into a tough lesson. The team's drives kept dying near the goal line. Each time they got close, something went wrong.
The mistakes piled up fast. Legette stepped out twice when catching passes. His attempts to dodge defenders backfired, pushing the team backward instead of forward.
"It was hard to process," Legette said, according to Motorcycle Sports. "We believed we were ready, and then to have it unfold like that? It was just surreal."
Now comes the hard part: watching the game film and fixing what went wrong. The team must bounce back quickly as the next game looms ahead. Their next game is Sept. 14 against the Arizona Cardinals.
