5 Observations on the Jaguars' 2023 Schedule

The Jacksonville Jaguars got seemingly as many breaks as any other NFL team when it came to this year's schedule release.

Multiple primetime games, no more stretches without spending multiple weeks at home, and a lucky draw overseas means the Jaguars are big winners after this week. :

"I liked it. I mean, obviously we knew our opponents going into the schedule, but I think it -- I was excited to get the three prime times other than the two London games; to have the Monday night game here, a Sunday night game here are exciting for our fans, obviously for us and our players," Jaguars head coach Doug Pederson said on Friday.

"And then the Thursday in New Orleans is a road Thursday game and against a great opponent. So I thought the schedule was great. Got some really good teams coming in here to play and we're excited about that."

So, what do we make of the Jaguars' schedule release? We break it down below.

Jaguars earned their primetime slates

The Jaguars had the longest primetime droughts in the entire NFL, not playing a Monday Night Football game since 2011 or a Sunday Night Football game since 2008. For the better part of the last two decades, the Jaguars have been a non-entity when it comes to national televised and marked teams. And for most years, it made sense; you have to earn primetime games, and for a long time the Jaguars hadn't.

But the Jaguars have this year. It is no accident the Jaguars will see the likes of Joe Burrow and the Cincinnati Bengals and Lamar Jackson and the Baltimore Ravens -- two premiere teams -- in their primetime slates. The Jaguars are seen as one of the most exciting up-and-coming teams and, finally, are not being relegated to Thursday Night Football games against a bad AFC South opponent. The Jaguars earned that right in a big way last year, and nobody can take that away from them.

Do not expect for the Jaguars to face the same flexed fate as their 2018 season

It is fair for people to be concerned the Jaguars could face the same fate as their 2018 team. Jacksonville was slated to face the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday Night Football in 2018, but things quickly fell apart after Blake Bortles and Cody Kessler struggled as the Jaguars lost six of seven games during the early stretch of the season. The NFL again has the power to flex the Jaguars this year, too, since their primetime games are so late in the season, and natural it appears some fans are afraid of history repeating.

Despite the logo, though, nothing about the 2018 and 2023 Jaguars are similar. The 2018 Jaguars didn't have a primetime-level player who could market and draw an audience to a bad team, even with Jalen Ramsey. Typically, only quarterbacks can do that. The 2018 Jaguars, which were led by arguably one of the weakest offensive depth charts in the entire NFL that year, were always lucky to have been given primetime consideration, even despite their playoff success from a year previously. The 2023 Jaguars, though, have a legitimate star at quarterback and a popular name at head coach, along with a host of other offensive weapons who would have been the best on the Jaguars' 2018 roster. That means something in this day and age.

The one stretch the Jaguars will have to brave the storm during

Every team has its tough stretches of the schedule, and this is true even for a solid schedule like the Jaguars' slate. It would be fair to say the two week trip to London followed by three games -- which includes two roads games, one of which comes on a short week on Thursday Night Football -- is a difficult slate just in terms of travel and wear and tear.

But for us, the toughest stretch will come in Weeks 13-15. The Jaguars will face three AFC North teams in this span, hosting elite quarterbacks Joe Burrow and Lamar Jackson on primetime and taking on the Cleveland Browns on the road in what will likely be a cold, grind-it-out-type game. Both stretches will be difficult, but the latter has three teams who could make the playoffs.

The easiest stretch facing the Jaguars

While the Jaguars will have a tough three-week stretch against the AFC North, they can rest easy knowing that their final stretch of the regular season is their easiest. Considering the Jaguars will likely be gearing up for a playoff run and could use all of the rest and smooth weekends they can get close to January, this is a big win.

From Week 16-18, the Jaguars play three teams that they could be considered at least a touchdown favorite against, even with two of the games coming on the road. Their Week 16 trip to Tampa Bay will be a late-season tilt against arguably one of the NFL's worst teams, while Week 17 will see them face a flawed Carolina Panthers roster and a rookie quarterback in Bryce Young. Finally, the Jaguars will face the Titans in Week 18 in a game that could be the end of the road for this current era of the Titans, which could see them limp to the finish.

Jaguars have a legitimate shot at the No. 1 seed

The Jaguars caught as many breaks as they possibly could have in terms of who they are playing and when. While the opponents have been locked in for some time, the Jaguars are facing the following opponents at advantageous times.

Week 1 @ the Indianapolis Colts: the Jaguars likely face Anthony Richardson in his first-ever start. Even if Richardson pans out, he can be expected to have some bumps that early in his career. It will also be the first game for Colts head coach Shane Steichen.
Week 3 vs. the Houston Texans: Jacksonville faces C.J. Stroud in his third start and first-year head coach DeMeco Ryans and first-year play-caller Bobby Slowik in their third games.
Week 4 vs. Atlanta Falcons: face Desmond Ridder in his eighth start and new Falcons defensive coordinator Ryan Nielsen in his fourth game.
Week 5 vs. Buffalo Bills: face the Bills in London after having already been there for a week.
Week 16 vs. Tampa Bay: face a Tampa Bay team that could be firmly in the Caleb Williams tank phase.
Week 18 @ Tennessee: face a Titans team that could be starting a rookie quarterback in Will Levis.

Add in the fact the Jaguars play the two worst divisions in the NFL in the AFC and the NFC South -- which means at least 10 games the Jaguars should be favored in -- and the home slate vs. elite quarterbacks and the Jaguars' schedule has all of the makings of a potential No. 1 seed.