Jaguars’ 2020 Strength of Schedule Falls in Middle of the Pack
One of the most interesting regular season schedules the Jacksonville Jaguars have had in recent years has finally been formed. Featured will be games against playoff teams such as the Green Bay Packers, Minnesota Vikings, a slew of AFC South foes, and the reigning MVP in Lamar Jackson.
Following a last place finish in 2019, the Jaguars will have the AFC North and NFC North on the schedule. Following is the entire Jaguars' schedule for the 2020 regular season:
Week 1: Indianapolis Colts @ Jaguars, Sept. 13 at 1 p.m. eastern. The game will air on CBS.
Week 2: Jaguars @ Tennessee Titans, Sept. 20 at 1 p.m. eastern. The game will air on CBS.
Week 3: Miami Dolphins @ Jaguars, Sept. 24 at 8:20 p.m. eastern. The game will air on NFL Network.
Week 4: Jaguars @ Cincinnati Bengals, Oct. 4 at 1 p.m. eastern. The game will air on CBS.
Week 5: Jaguars @ Houston Texans, Oct. 11 at 1 p.m. eastern. The game will air on CBS.
Week 6: Detroit Lions @ Jaguars, Oct. 18 at 1 p.m. eastern. The game will air on FOX.
Week 7: Bye week.
Week 8: Jaguars @ Los Angeles Chargers, Nov. 1 at 4:05 p.m. eastern. The game will air on CBS.
Week 9: Houston Texans @ Jaguars, Nov. 8 at 1 p.m. eastern. The game will air on CBS.
Week 10: Jaguars @ Green Bay Packers, Nov. 15 at 1 p.m. eastern. The game will air on FOX.
Week 11: Pittsburgh Steelers @ Jaguars, Nov. 22 at 1 p.m. eastern. The game will air on CBS.
Week 12: Cleveland Browns @ Jaguars, Nov. 29 at 1 p.m. eastern. The game will air on CBS.
Week 13: Jaguars @ Minnesota Vikings, Dec. 6 at 1 p.m. eastern. The game will air on CBS.
Week 14: Tennesee Titans @ Jaguars, Dec. 13 at 1 p.m. eastern. The game will air on CBS.
Week 15: Jaguars @ Baltimore Ravens, Dec. 20 at 1 p.m. eastern. The game will air on CBS.
Week 16: Chicago Bears @ Jaguars, Dec. 27 at 1 p.m. eastern. The game will air on FOX.
Week 17: Jaguars @ Indianapolis Colts, Jan. 3 at 1 p.m. eastern. The game will air on CBS
While this schedule is certainly interesting, is it actually one that has the makeup of a tough slate of Sundays for the Jaguars, or is instead an easier schedule than some may think?
To determine the answer, we have looked at the strength of schedule figures compiled by SportsBettingDime. Since what happened in 2019 is largely a moot point when it comes to future schedules due to the overhauls of each team's roster and coaching staff every season, SportsBettingDime has configured strength of schedule assessments based on the current over/under projection for each team and their opponents.
So, where does the Jaguars' schedule rank when considering this form of assessment? According to SportsBettingDime, it falls almost right in the middle compared to the rest of the NFL and is the 18th most difficult schedule at this moment.
While this is good news for the Jaguars, since any tough schedule like the one the Atlanta Falcons or New York Giants face would doom the season before it even began, it also needs to be considered that the two teams with the easiest schedules by this metric are both in the AFC South with the Indianapolis Colts and Tennessee Titans.
The only AFC South team with a tougher schedule than the Jaguars? The Houston Texans, who SportsBettingDime has ranked with the 10th most difficult schedule.
With that said, the Jaguars are slated to have the easiest first half schedule according to SportsBettingDime. Considering the Jaguars play the Dolphins, Bengals, and Lions in the first half of the season, this isn't exactly surprising.
The Jaguars are expected by many to compete for the No. 1 overall draft pick in the 2021 NFL Draft, though a strong season from sophomore quarterback Gardner Minshew II, developments by Josh Allen, Jawaan Taylor, and DJ Chark, and the production of the largest draft class in franchise history could prevent this from happening.
