5 Important Takeaways on Jaguars' 2026 Schedule, Stretches and More

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- The Jacksonville Jaguars' 2026 schedule is at long last released, we we now know what head coach Liam Coen and his team have to do to repeat as AFC South champions.

So, what do we make of the slate the Jaguars have been given for the 2026 season? We break it down below with five instant takeaways.

The Jaguars' Mettle Will be Tested Early

jacksonville jaguar — Oct 6, 2025; Jacksonville, Florida, USA; Jacksonville Jaguars head coach Liam Coen and quarterback Trevor Lawrence (16) during the first half against the Kansas City Chiefs at EverBank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Morgan Tencza-Imagn Images | Morgan Tencza-Imagn Images

To say the first six weeks of the Jaguars' season is a difficult stretch would be quite the understatement. The Jaguars are set to play the lowly Cleveland Browns, who might have a Deshaun Watson/Todd Monken QB/HC duo in Week 1, which they should be heavily favored in. There are plenty of storylines between the Jaguars and Browns, but it is Weeks 2-6 that serve as an incredibly imposing span of games.

In Week 2, the Jaguars make an early-season road trip to the Denver Broncos. More on that later, but the Broncos might be a popular Super Bowl pick this offseason and they will have last year's loss to the Jaguars on their minds. Then the next week, the Jaguars play the defending AFC champions in the New England Patriots. In short, the Jaguars play the two AFC finalists in the first three weeks of the season.

It does not get much better from there. The Cincinnati Bengals are likely one of the worst teams on the Jaguars' schedule, but they beat the Jaguars in Cincinnati last year without Joe Burrow for most of the game. Then the Jaguars go to London to play a playoff team in the Philadelphia Eagles and one of the AFC's best teams in the Houston Texans.

The Jaguars went through a similar stretch last year, playing the San Francisco 49ers, Kansas City Chiefs, Seattle Seahawks, and Los Angeles Rams before their bye week. They went 2-2 that time around; 3-3 or 4-2 this time would be a big win.

This is The Easiest Stretch

Weeks 8-14 is when the Jaguars should look to get on a roll. After their Week 7 bye week on the heels of their London games vs. the Texans and Philadelphia Eagles, the Jaguars will host the Colts at home for their annual humiliation ritual. They then play on the road for the next three weeks but two of those games -- Weeks 10 and 11 -- come against the two worst teams on their schedule in the Tennessee Titans and the New York Giants.

After the Giants game, the Jaguars then host the Titans in Week 12 in a game that will have them as massive favorites. They do have a tough Week 13 game at the Bears, but Week 14 then gives them a Monday Night Football game against the Pittsburgh Steelers and arguably the worst quarterback situation in sports. The worst-case scenario for the Jaguars during this stretch has to be 5-2. Anything less would be a big miss.

There Will Be a Ton of Eyes on This Team

liam coe — Jacksonville Jaguars General Manager James Gladstone, left and Jaguars Executive Vice President of Football Operations Tony Boselli, center, all talk with Jacksonville Jaguars Head Coach Liam Coen after the Jacksonville Jaguars’ 18th and final training camp practice at Miller Electric Center in Jacksonville, Fla. Wednesday August 20, 2025. [Doug Engle/Florida Times-Union] | Doug Engle/Florida Times-Union / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The Jaguars will have five different games this season in which they are in the only game playing in that slot: the two London games and their three primetime games on Thursday Night Football vs. the Baltimore Ravens, Monday Night Football vs. the Steelers, and then Sunday Night Football against the Dallas Cowboys. Having three primetime games alone is huge for the Jaguars, who have only hit that mark two other times since 2010.

All in all, it seems like the schedule-makers gave the Jaguars the respect they deserve based on last year's results. That will mean the Jaguars will have a lot of pressure on them to meet expectations, of course, but this is what the Jaguars want. They want more chances to shine in the bright lights, and the NFL is giving it to them this season.

If the Jaguars play well on primetime and finish with another strong season, the Jaguars could be a primetime fixture for years to come. The Jaguars will get all of the eyes on them this year that they were not afforded in years past.

The Upside of the London Trip

trevor lawrenc — Sep 24, 2023; Jacksonville, Florida, USA; Houston Texans quarterback CJ Stroud (7) and Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence (16) meet at the end of the game at EverBank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Melina Myers-Imagn Images | Melina Myers-Imagn Images

There is no question that the Jaguars have a hurdle to clear in their "home" game vs. the Texans. The biggest game on the Jaguars' regular-season schedule has been moved from Jacksonville to a neutral site, and there is no real reason to try to sugarcoat that fact. Yes, there are other factors that explain why this is the AFC South game the NFL would want the Jaguars to play in London, but few matter for the Jaguars on the field aside from one.

For the Jaguars, the pure upside of the timing of this game is the fact that this is the second of their two London games. The Jaguars are 2-0 in the second London game in the other years they have played multiple games there, and there is reason to believe that being there and acclimated for a week could be an advantage. If there is an upside for the Jaguars when it comes to their home game vs. the Texans, this is it.

Broncos Timing

The Jaguars played the Broncos late in the season last year and were able to knock the Broncos off in one of the biggest upsets of the season. This will be another game with storylines after the way the Jaguars and Liam Coen used the Broncos' pre-game comments as fodder last season, and the timing of it certainly is of some interest.

On one hand, the Broncos' home record has traditionally been better earlier in the season than later in the year. On the other hand, Broncos quarterback Bo Nix is coming off serious injury and playing him earlier in the season could mean Denver has more questions than they would in a game in November or December. This is one of the biggest games on the Jaguars' schedule in terms of what it means for them in the national standing and totem pole.

Add us as a preferred source on Google