Evan Abrams advised taking Jacksonville –2.5 immediately because he expects public enthusiasm for Liam Cohen’s arrival and Trevor Lawrence’s "last-chance" narrative to shove the line to –3 or –3.5 well before September. Abrams noted Carolina enters 2024 with essentially no off-season buzz after last year’s league-worst defense and Bryce Young’s rocky rookie campaign. A convincing Week 1 result carries extra weight for Jacksonville given a brutal six-game gauntlet that follows (at Cincinnati, vs Houston, vs San Francisco, at Kansas City, at Seattle, vs the Rams), so he anticipates a playoff-urgency game plan that supports laying the early short number and capturing closing-line value.

Chris Raybon recommended attacking Jacksonville’s Week 1 team-total overs against Carolina because he sees a blueprint for a massive offensive leap under new coordinator Liam Cohen. He drew a direct parallel to Cohen’s one-year stint in Tampa, where the Buccaneers jumped from 20.5 to 29.5 points per game and dropped 37 on Washington in their opener as 3.5-point favorites. Jacksonville averaged 20.5 points during Trevor Lawrence’s first 60 career starts, but Raybon believes a revamped skill-position group (All-Pro hopefuls Hunter Thomas at receiver, explosive rookie tailback Tootin, and Paisby in a change-of-pace role) plus an upgraded offensive line can push that average into the high-20s immediately. The matchup helps: Carolina finished dead last in points allowed last season and still relies on a young quarterback, Bryce Young, which could force extra possessions. With the Jags laying only 3.5, Raybon sees outsized upside in their isolated scoring props and plans to bet alt-team-total ladders once markets post.