The Sports Xchange

Carolina Panthers (0-0) at Jacksonville Jaguars (0-0)

Sunday, 1:00 p.m. ET, at EverBank Field, Jacksonville, Fla. – TV: FOX

*TV announcers: Chris Myers, Ronde Barber, Jennifer Hale

*Keys to the game: The Panthers suffered through one of the more painful preseasons around the league as they lost three key contributors for the season and have several others battling nagging injuries to return in time to face the Jaguars. The good news is QB Cam Newton and RB Jonathan Stewart are healthy and the interior of the offensive line is shaping up as a team strength. The Panthers lack many weapons to stretch the field vertically, but they should be able to move the chains against a defense that allowed 4.1 yards per carry and 127 yards per game on the ground last season.

The Jaguars were excited by the development second-year QB Blake Bortles showed during the preseason, but that was against vanilla defenses. That won’t be what he sees across the line from Panthers MLB Luke Keuchly and company. Rookie RB T.J. Yeldon is expected to shoulder the brunt of the first and second down work and must be productive. Three-quarters of Carolina’s defensive line saw limited time at best during the preseason, and the Jaguars must be able to take advantage and keep Bortles out of the consistent third-and-long situations that plagued his rookie year.

*Matchup to watch – Carolina QB Cam Newton vs. Jaguars SS Jonathan Cyprien: Jacksonville has traditionally struggled against mobile quarterbacks who are able to buy extra time. Cyprien, who has been out since the preseason opener with a finger injury, is expected to play without limitation and will play a critical role when Newton is out of the pocket. Cyprien is a physical safety who could have some memorable collisions with 6-5, 245-pound Newton in short-yardage situations.

*Player spotlight – Panthers CB Charles Tillman: Some believe the longtime Bear would be best served moving to safety at this stage of his career, but “Peanut” believes he can still man the outside. He can stick with possession target Allen Robinson, but look for the Jaguars to try to match some of their faster wideouts up against Tillman in seek of a vertical mismatch.

*Fast facts: The Panthers’ .350 winning percentage in 20 season-openers is the lowest mark in the NFL. … Bortles led all NFL quarterbacks with an average of 7.5 yards per carry last season.

WHO WILL WIN AND WHY

The Jaguars tried to improve the personnel around QB Blake Bortles, but not having injured TE Julius Thomas as a playmaking option on underneath routes is a big blow. Carolina has the superior ground game and the superior defense, which translates to a blue-collar win on the road.

*Our pick: Panthers 20-13