Jaguars Now Have 1 Massive Scheduling Hurdle They Must Clear

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- The NFL announced their entire slate of international games on Wednesday, which means the Jacksonville Jaguars have found their two London opponents.

The Jaguars will host the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 5 at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, with the Oct. 11 game kicking off at 9:30 a.m. ET. Then the next week, the Jaguars will host the Houston Texans in Week 6 at Wembley Stadium, another 9:30 kickoff.

LIAM COE — Sep 21, 2025; Jacksonville, Florida, USA; Jacksonville Jaguars head coach Liam Coen and Houston Texans head coach DeMeco Ryans shake hands after the game at EverBank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Morgan Tencza-Imagn Images | Morgan Tencza-Imagn Images

With that news, the Jaguars now have their first major scheduling hurdle to clear in 2026. Each year, some teams get dealt bad hands in terms of when games are scheduled. This time, the Jaguars' bad deal comes in the form of where the game is scheduled.

Jaguars' Major Hurdle

The Eagles' game landing in London is not all that surprising. The Eagles have rarely played overseas and they were due to have a game sent, and the Jaguars have other home games against playoff foes that they would likely rather play in Jacksonville than in London.

Nov 3, 2024; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence (16) and Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts (1) meet on the field after the game at Lincoln Financial Field. Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-Imagn Images | Eric Hartline-Imagn Images

With that said, it is hard to say that the Texans' game being sent to London is anything other than the worst-case scenario for Jacksonville. It felt like the Jaguars were bound to play an AFC South game in London this season once the Jaguars announced they would be playing two games in London, but this is the absolute last AFC South game the Jaguars should want to be played away from EverBank Stadium.

The Jaguars and Texans are already set to be neck-and-neck in the AFC South to enter 2026 to begin with. The Jaguars narrowly won the AFC South after splitting their season series with Houston, and this left no margin for error for the Jaguars over the second-half of the season.

trevor lawrenc — Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence (16) greets Houston Texans quarterback CJ. Stroud (7) mid-field after the game of an NFL football matchup at EverBank Stadium, Sunday, Sept. 21, 2025, in Jacksonville, Fla. The Jaguars defeated the Texans 17-10. [Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Union] | Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Union / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

To the Jaguars' credit, they were able to win week in and week out and keep the Texans at bay a year ago. But every single edge matters, and the Jaguars losing a chance to stay at home for arguably their most important home game of the season is a tough pill to swallow.

This is not to say the Jaguars are simply being assigned an automatic loss and should roll over simply because this game is leaving Jacksonville. The Jaguars could just as well win considering they have already shown the ability to not just hang with the Texans, but also to out-play them for long stretches at a time.

But the Jaguars likely would have preferred seeing games against the Titans or Colts be played in London instead. The Texans were already set to travel, so it is not as if the Jaguars being in London for a week should play that much of a factor.

The construction and renovations taking place at EverBank Stadium for the Jaguars' new digs are clearly set to have a major impact on the Jaguars' schedule. It plays into why the Jaguars are hosting two London games this season, saving them from sending one to an international stadium in the future when they are moved into their stadium. The Jaguars will also seemingly be factoring the stadium into their weeks before and after London, as well.

"So, we give all our requests to the league. Again, no guarantee we will get that, but don't be surprised to learn that we're going to ask for a bye week after our second London home game. If we're granted that, then that two-week window becomes three weeks," Jaguars president Mark Lamping said in Feburary.

"In addition to that, we're going to ask that we play a road game either before our first London game or after our bye week. If that happens, then from a construction perspective we have the optimal schedule which gives us almost a month-long doughnut right in the middle of the season."

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