Early Game-By-Game Predictions For the Jaguars in 2020
The Jacksonville Jaguars officially know how their 2020 schedule is set to play out, giving the team and head coach Doug Marrone an opportunity to finally begin game-planning for the upcoming season.
Following a 6-10 season in 2019, Marrone and general manager Dave Caldwell have been given must-win mandates by team owner Shad Khan. If Marrone and Caldwell want to stick in Jacksonville past 2020, they will need to field an improved team from last year's disappointing squad.
The Jaguars will obviously have to deal with the exits of several high-profile players, such as team leader and start defensive lineman Calais Campbell, cornerback A.J. Bouye, and perhaps even defensive end Yannick Ngakoue. Combine these factors with the development of Gardner Minshew II in his sophomore season, and the Jaguars have plenty of question marks and storylines entering next season.
With the release of the team's 2020 schedule now behind us, it is time to look forward and give our best educated guesses on how each game could play out. These are, of course, early projections considering 53-man rosters aren't even set, the fact that injuries could always impact each roster and, obviously, the uncertainty that there will even be a 16-game season. We won't be doing score predictions, instead just giving either a win or a loss.
With that said, here are our early game-by-game predictions for how the Jaguars' 2020 could take shape.
Week 1: Indianapolis Colts @ Jaguars, Sept. 13 at 1 p.m. eastern.
For whatever reason, the Colts struggle when they travel to Jacksonville. They haven't won a game at TIAA Bank Field since 2014, and this has included losses to the 2015, 2016, 2018, and 2019 Jaguars' squads ... all bad teams. Frank Reich is one of the best coaches in the AFC, but he has yet to lead the Colts to a road win vs. the Jaguars. The Colts do have notorious Jaguars' killer Philip Rivers now at quarterback, but we are going to say the Jaguars get another home win vs. their rivals behind strong games from DJ Chark and Gardner Minshew.
Record: 1-0.
Week 2: Jaguars @ Tennessee Titans, Sept. 20 at 1 p.m. eastern.
Aside from an early Thursday Night Football victory vs. the Titans in Week 3 last season, the Titans have bullied the Jaguars annually for the past several years. They just seem to have the Jaguars' number, and do a better job of playing Jacksonville's game of physical, ground and pound football. Ryan Tannehill isn't a great quarterback, but the Jaguars' defense will still be in transition mode in Week 2 and Tannehill should have a solid outing.
Record: 1-1.
Week 3: Miami Dolphins @ Jaguars, Sept. 24 at 8:20 p.m. eastern.
The only prime-time game on the Jaguars' schedule this season is one of the easiest games on Jacksonville's roster. The Dolphins are a tough and respectable team, but they still lack too much talent on the offensive of the ball to scare anybody, especially along the offensive line. Look for the Jaguars' defensive line to dominate this one, with or without Ngakoue.
Record: 2-1.
Week 4: Jaguars @ Cincinnati Bengals, Oct. 4 at 1 p.m. eastern. The game will air on CBS.
Joe Burrow, A.J. Green, and Tee Higgins is going to be a tough trio for any defense to compete against, but especially one such as the Jaguars considering how young the secondary is going to be. The Jaguars had issues putting away a significantly worse Bengals' team last season, so with a massive upgrade at quarterback in Cincinnati, plus the return of Green, it isn't hard to see the Jaguars dropping this one.
Record: 2-2.
Week 5: Jaguars @ Houston Texans, Oct. 11 at 1 p.m. eastern.
Marrone and Bill O'Brien know each other like the back of their own hands, so Jaguars and Texans games are always hard-fought, smartly-coached affairs. The Texans lost firepower on offense, but they still have a defensive scheme in which Minshew struggled against twice in 2019, and Deshaun Watson has dominated the Jaguars every time he has played them in his career.
Record: 2-3.
Week 6: Detroit Lions @ Jaguars, Oct. 18 at 1 p.m. eastern.
Jeff Okudah vs. Chark should be a fantastic matchup to watch, but Matt Stafford and D'Andre Swift vs. the Jaguars' new-look defense is just as intriguing. Stafford was quietly having a terrific season before injuries sidelined him in 2019, and the Lions have just enough weapons to frustrate the Jaguars, but it is hard to see the Lions being able to cover the Jaguars' weapons outside of Chark considering their shaky secondary aside from Okudah. This should be a close one, but the Lions' issues in the secondary and along their defensive line make me give the Jaguars a slight edge.
Record: 3-3.
Week 7: Bye week.
Week 8: Jaguars @ Los Angeles Chargers, Nov. 1 at 4:05 p.m. eastern.
The Jaguars traveling to the west coast almost never works out well for them. They won in Oakland last season, and will face either Tyrod Taylor or a rookie Justin Herbert in Week 8, but it is hard to feel confident in the Jaguars winning a game vs. the same Chargers team who dominated them in Jacksonville in 2019.
Record: 3-4.
Week 9: Houston Texans @ Jaguars, Nov. 8 at 1 p.m. eastern. The game will air on CBS.
The Jaguars' defense starts to finally take shape around this part of the season following a change in defensive schemes, but it still won't matter vs. Watson. Watson is 4-0 in career starts against the Jaguars and has completed over 70% of his passes in two of those starts. He just seems to have Todd Wash's number.
Record: 3-5.
Week 10: Jaguars @ Green Bay Packers, Nov. 15 at 1 p.m. eastern.
The Packers had a terrific season in 2019 and are a talented team, but they seem like the prime candidate out of the playoff teams to drop a game to a team they shouldn't. Their lack of firepower on offense, as well as lack of run-stuffers on defense, align well for the Jaguars' current roster. This will be a tough game, but the Jaguars have the defensive front to harass Rodgers while being able to take advantage of the Packers' up-and-down defense. A lot of this will hinge on how the Jaguars defense limits Davante Adams, but this could be the surprise win of the season.
Record: 4-5.
Week 11: Pittsburgh Steelers @ Jaguars, Nov. 22 at 1 p.m. eastern.
Pittsburgh's defense just seems like the kind of unit that would give Minshew and the Jaguars trouble. Minkah Fitzpatrick flies all over the field and is able to generate a ton of turnovers, while T.J. Watt against the Jaguars' offensive line is a major mismatch. The Steelers' offense has question marks, but we give Pittsburgh the edge in a low-scoring win.
Record: 4-6.
Week 12: Cleveland Browns @ Jaguars, Nov. 29 at 1 p.m. eastern.
The Browns roster is better than the 6-10 record they had in 2019, but it isn't quite as good as the lofty playoff expectations that were placed on them last year, either. Still, Nick Chubb will test the Jaguars' run defense, while Odell Beckham Jr. will be a tough test for CJ Henderson. Myles Garrett vs. Cam Robinson is the matchup that makes us lean Cleveland, but this could be a toss-up.
Record: 4-7.
Week 13: Jaguars @ Minnesota Vikings, Dec. 6 at 1 p.m. eastern.
The Vikings' roster has undergone a big transformation this offseason, but they still have top-tier players like Dalvin Cook, Adam Thielen, Danielle Hunter, Harrison Smith, and others. The Vikings are simply too talented for the Jaguars to beat in this instance.
Record: 4-8.
Week 14: Tennesee Titans @ Jaguars, Dec. 13 at 1 p.m. eastern.
Jacksonville, as we've pointed out, simply can not get past the Titans in most instances. However, we are giving them the win at home here because the Jaguars will be playing for more at this point: Marrone will be fighting for his job, while Minshew will be fighting to prove he can be the long-term answer at quarterback. Jaguars win a close one here, giving them some much-needed positive momentum following three losses in a row.
Record: 5-8.
Week 15: Jaguars @ Baltimore Ravens, Dec. 20 at 1 p.m. eastern.
The Jaguars' defense has struggled against mobile quarterbacks for close to a decade, so what reason is there to be optimistic that they won't have the same issues vs. the second best scrambling quarterback of the century in Lamar Jackson? Add in Mark Ingram and J.K. Dobbins, and it is hard seeing the Jaguars hold Baltimore to under 200 rushing yards.
Record: 5-9.
Week 16: Chicago Bears @ Jaguars, Dec. 27 at 1 p.m. eastern. The game will air on FOX.
Nick Foles and Allen Robinson get their chance for revenge games vs. Jacksonville, but it doesn't matter this week. The Bears' offense will struggle to move the ball, while the Jaguars are able to put up enough points to bridge a gap between them and the Bears. The most important player in this game? Right tackle Jawaan Taylor, who will be matched up with Khalil Mack.
Record: 6-9.
Week 17: Jaguars @ Indianapolis Colts, Jan. 3 at 1 p.m. eastern. The game will air on CBS
Neither team will be playing for the playoffs in this hypothetical, but the Colts will have the edge at home thanks to an elite running game and a passing offense that has finally gelled around Rivers. The rosters here aren't significantly different, but the two teams have strengths that match up well with the weaknesses of the other, meaning it is sensible for them to split a pair of games.
Record: 6-10.
