Jacksonville Jaguars' 2026 Schedule: The Good, Bad, And Ugly

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- The Jacksonville Jaguars know what it will now take to repeat as AFC South champions in 2026. The question is whether they are up for the challenge.

With this week's schedule release, the Jaguars have been dealt a hand for the 2026 season that features plenty of challenges. So, what are the high spots of the Jaguars' 2026 schedule, the low spots, and everything in between? We break down the good, bad, and ugly below.

The Good

Most of the Second-Half Stretch

jacksonville jaguar — Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence (16) and Tennessee Titans defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons (98) talk after the game at Nissan Stadium in Nashville, Tenn., Sunday, Nov. 30, 2025. | Andrew Nelles / The Tennessean / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

There is no denying the Jaguars face a brutal schedule to start the season. They play four double-digit win teams, three divisonal winners, and three quarterbacks who have been to a Super Bowl plus another who has been to a conference championship game. But with that in mind, it is at least worth noting that the second-half of the Jaguars' schedule is far from as intimidating.

The Jaguars will be on the road quite a bit after their Week 7 bye, but they have four games against last year's third- and fourth-place AFC South teams, home games against questionable foes like the Pittsburgh Steelers and Washington Commanders, and a very winnable game against the New York Giants. Those are seven games alone the Jaguars should be favored in, even if there are four other solid teams mixed in there.

Jaguars 2026 schedule

brutal stretch weeks 2-6

in Jacksonville for only 1 game (NE)

after the bye, schedule lightens up considerably pic.twitter.com/fIorczCoN4
— Warren Sharp (@SharpFootball) May 14, 2026

Primetime Respect

shad kha — Nov 23, 2025; Glendale, Arizona, USA; Jacksonville Jaguars owner Shad Khan against the Arizona Cardinals at State Farm Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

Five different teams did not get a single primetime game for the 2026 season, including the Tennessee Titans. This means the Titans' No. 1 pick Cam Ward will have gone two seasons as the top player from his draft class but without a single primetime game in his career, unless the Titans surprise people and play well enough to get flexed into a game later in the year. While that certainly demonstrates the different world the Jaguars are in with three primetime games, it was not long ago that the Jaguars faced these same issues.

Until a 2023 game against the Baltimore Ravens, the Jaguars were shut out of Sunday Night Football for over a decade. The Jaguars had zero primetime regular-season games in 2017, and their lone game the next season was a Thursday Night Football game against the Titans. The Jaguars' success last season has helped them breakaway from a lack of national showcases, and it is clear that the only way to maintain this respect and not join the Titans back in the cellar is to keep winning games.

The Bad

6:11 Ratio

The Jaguars certainly have some favorable stretches during the 2026 season, and they also have enough games with the stakes and platforms to generate excitement. With that in mind, it is tough to ignore the sheer fact that the Jaguars are only going to play six regular-season games in Jacksonville this season as opposed to 11 games in opponent or neutral stadiums. The Jaguars did well away from EverBank a year ago, but 11 games is a tough figure.

Liam Coen has shown the ability to get the Jaguars through serious road stretches, but back-to-back home games in London and a only two home games in Jacksonville in October and November combined means he will have to work his magic again. There is little doubt that he will be able to, but this is going to take some work.

The Ugly

The Pain Index

liam coe — Jacksonville Jaguars head coach Liam Coen talked about the upcoming NFL draft during the annual pre-draft luncheon press conference in the media room at the Miller Electric Center Thursday April 9, 2026. [Doug Engle/Florida Times-Union] | Doug Engle/Florida Times-Union / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

As Sports Illustrated's Conor Orr pointed out, the Jaguars got dealt some of the toughest schedule blows of any team in the NFL. This is less so about who the Jaguars play and instead focuses on when and where the Jaguars play. They have the worst "pain index" score of any team since 2002, a figure from ESPN's Brian Burke that takes into account air miles travelled, rest differential, and more. Several other teams rank historically low in that regard this year, but the Jaguars are the worst.

How much will this actually matter? The 2023 San Francisco 49ers are just one example, but they have the third-worst pain index since 2002 and they went 12-5 and lost the Super Bowl in a one-score overtime game to Patrick Mahomes. That means it surely should not be seen as a death knell for the season, but it does also mean the Jaguars will have to clear some hurdles. As long as the Jaguars play up to their potential, this should not matter much. But they simply do not have much room to slip up.

Second-Half Road Schedule

The Jaguars play 11 games after their bye week, and we already said they should be favored in at least seven of those games. The other four games are against quality opponents in the Chicago Bears, Dallas Cowboys, Houston Texans, and Baltimore Ravens -- and every single one of those games is set to be on the road.

The Jaguars went 6-2 on the road last year and scored some wins against to0p teams in doing so vs. the Denver Broncos and San Francisco 49ers. The Jaguars will have to be just as good on the road this year, and there is a good chance they finish the year with as many road games against playoff teams as any other team in the NFL.

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