Who would have thought the 2-13 Carolina Panthers would be on the other side of one of the Jacksonville Jaguars’ most important games of the season?
If the Jaguars lose, the league would be shocked, but the Panthers are playing them at the right time. Jacksonville has gone on a four-game losing streak that has brought the AFC South leader from 8-3 to 8-7.
Most importantly, a Jacksonville loss and an Indianapolis or Houston victory would see the Jaguars fall out of the division lead.
Carolina isn’t the most dangerous team, but it’s played its best football over the past couple weeks. Here are five Panthers players who could cause problems for the Jaguars in Week 17:
QB Bryce Young
The No. 1 overall pick of the 2023 NFL Draft looks far from polished in his first year in the league. But he’s coming off his best performance so far, leaving Panthers fans optimistic of what he’s capable of.
Going into last week, Young had gone seven weeks without more than 200 passing yards and had only one game with more than one passing touchdown. Against the Packers, he completed 23 of 36 passes for a career-high 312 yards and two touchdowns.
If Jacksonville gets the version of Young that nearly upset Green Bay, the defense won’t be able to take the game off.
WR Adam Thielen
People thought wide receiver Adam Thielen’s career was as good as done when he signed with the Panthers in the offseason. However, he’s been one of the league’s surprises and made a select few fantasy football players look like geniuses.
Thielen’s best football is behind him, but he’s still a valuable weapon for a rookie quarterback. He has 95 catches for 964 yards and four touchdowns this year, and he’s been Young’s favorite weapon.
Thielen won’t be beating the Jaguars deep, but he could get some easy first downs against a struggling Tyson Campbell.
DE Brian Burns
If the Jaguars had it their way, edge rusher Brian Burns might have been wearing teal in this matchup. But Burns wasn’t traded at the trade deadline and may instead wreak havoc against the Jaguars.
Jacksonville’s offensive line has been weak this year, and Burns is the exact type of player who could beat it. Burns has only six sacks this year, but he’s still a more-than-effective pass rusher.
He’ll get to match up against rookie Anton Harrison and likely Cam Robinson, who is expected to return from the injured reserve list this week.
DT Derrick Brown
Defensive lineman Derrick Brown isn’t likely to get much pressure on Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence, but he may shut down Jacksonville’s already struggling running game.
Travis Etienne Jr. has been struggling this year, and he had his worst performance of the year last week — 12 yards on six carries. Brown excels at clogging lanes for opposing rushers.
Etienne might not have much to work with in the trenches, so he’ll need to be ready to make some plays for himself.
CB Jaycee Horn
Carolina cornerback Jaycee Horn hasn’t been active for much of the year, but the former top 10 draft pick is a talented defensive back. He missed much of the year due to injury, but he’s played all of December and could be a real threat to Jacksonville’s passing attack if he’s at the top of his game.
The Panthers don’t have many great corners, so the pressure will be on Horn to make things difficult for the Jaguars’ receivers. Calvin Ridley has struggled to find a groove, and neither Zay Jones nor Parker Washington has been able to fill the gap left by the injured Christian Kirk.
If Horn gives the group trouble, moving the ball will be no walk in the park for Jacksonville.
