Ranking Every Game on the Jaguars Schedule From Easiest to Hardest

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JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- It is time for the Jacksonville Jaguars to get down to business.
The Jaguars got their official 2026 schedule on Thursday night; while we have known the opponents for sometime, we now know the exact order the Jaguars are set to play them in.
So, what are the easiest and hardest games on the Jaguars' schedule? We break it down below by ranking the games from easiest to hardest.
Week 1: vs Cleveland Browns (Sept. 23)

There will certainly be no shortage of storylines for Jaguars-Browns to kick off the year; at least to those in Jacksonville and Cleveland. With that said, the Browns might have the second-worst quarterback situation in the NFL, and the Jaguars can not let that opportunity be squandered like it was two years ago.
Week 12: vs. Tennessee Titans (No. 29)

The Tennessee Titans will be better this season; that much there is no arguing. They had the worst roster and worst head coach in the NFL last season, neither of which should be the case this year. But the Titans are still several tiers away from being able to compete with the Jaguars, as they proved in two blowouts last year. A home game against this Titans roster should be a win.
Week 10: @ Tennessee Titans (Nov. 15)

The logic here is largely the exact same as it is above, except this time around the Jaguars will be on the road. The Jaguars have won their last two games in Nashville and have not had many issues playing at Nissan Stadium in recent years, outside of the 2023 finale ... but we will move on from that game.
Week 14: vs. Pittsburgh Steelers (Dec. 14, Monday Night Football)

The Jaguars' only home primetime game of the season will be the Pittsburgh Steelers on Monday Night Football. The Steelers are entering a year of transition without Mike Tomlin and their quarterback situation seems to be a mess regardless of what Aaron Rodgers ultimately decides to do. This should be a game in which the Jaguars flex their muscles -- at least on paper.
Week 11: @ New York Giants (Nov. 22)

The last time the Jaguars played the Giants in New York, Blake Bortles and Eli Manning were the starting quarterbacks and Doug Marrone and Pat Shurmur were the top coaches. The Giants would perhaps be the top team on this list were it not for the hiring of John Harbaugh. They should be better this year due to coaching alone, but their roster still has a lot of holes.
Week 8: vs. Indianapolis Colts (Nov. 1)

The Colts have not been very good against the Jaguars under Shane Steichen, but their issues in Jacksonville extend far beyond that. The Colts have not won in Jacksonville since 2014, and they seem to find a new way to see their season completely unravel inside the walls of EverBank Stadium. With a so-so roster and quarterback situation, the Colts are not very intimidating on paper.
Week 17: vs. Washington Commanders (Jan. 3)

The Jaguars have not played the Washington Commanders in a few years, and this will be the Jaguars' first game against Jayden Daniels since he was drafted. Daniels is an exciting talent, but the Commanders regressed last year due to the weakness of their roster and the Jaguars should be the better team here.
Week 18: @ Indianapolis Colts (TBD)

The Colts played the Jaguars tough at Lucas Oil Stadium last season, and their win at home against the Jaguars there in 2024 was the only win the Shane Steichen-era Colts have been able to land over Jacksonville. The fact that this is the regular-season finale does add some stakes to it, however, which we have not seen from a Jaguars-Colts finale in some time.
Week 4: @ Cincinnati Bengals (Oct. 4)

The Bengals are in a weird middle-ground this year. They were not a playoff team last year and it remains to be seen just how much better they will be this year, even after the Dexter Lawrence blockbuster. They also have J'Marr Chase, who gave the Jaguars fits last year. This is a middle-of-the-road type of game.
Week 16: @ Dallas Cowboys (Dec. 27, Sunday Night Football)

It remains to be seen just what the Cowboys' defense will look like after adding a new leader and new pieces this offseason, but they are set to have a standout offense yet again. Dak Prescott is a top-level quarterback and the Cowboys had one of the best offenses in all of football last year, which could make this a massive test for Anthony Campanile.
Week 9: @ Baltimore Ravens (Nov. 5, Thursday Night Football)

Liam Coen has had Jesse Minter's number the last two seasons, which will make this a fascinating third battle between them. With that said, the Ravens have Lamar Jackson on their roster and the Jaguars had massive issues against mobile quarterbacks last year. We will see just how much that changes this season.
Week 3: vs. New England Patriots (Sept. 27)

The Patriots have had an ... interesting offseason. Their roster feels marginally better than last year when they went to the Super Bowl, but they have not yet earned the right to be feared based on how easy their path was last season.
Week 5: vs. Philadelphia Eagles (Oct. 11, London)

The Jaguars' London trip vs. the Eagles will be the Jaguars' chance to make up for their London debacle a year ago. The Eagles are an experienced team with a lot of blue-chip talents on both sides of the ball, but the Jaguars do seemingly match up with them well. Vic Fangio vs. Liam Coen will be a fascinating battle.
Week 13: @ Chicago Bears (Dec. 6)

Ben Johnson and Caleb Williams were the NFC's version of Liam Coen and Trevor Lawrence last year, and this game will have a lot of juice behind it. The Bears' defense remains a question mark, but they could have one of the best offenses in the NFL this year. There will be a lot of bragging rights at stake in this one.
Week 6: vs. Houston Texans (Oct. 18, London)

This game would not rank much higher if it were in Jacksonville as opposed to London. It being a neutral-site game, rather than in Jacksonville, likely does not matter all that much considering the difficulty of the opponent. The Texans are indeed that good a team, and their defense could be even better this year than it was last year. This is a must-win game for a reason.
Week 2: @ Denver Broncos (Sept. 20)

The Broncos are a tough team to play in Denver no matter what, even if they were a middling team. This time, the Broncos are set to be one of the best teams in the AFC yet again. The Jaguars bullied the Broncos in Denver last year, but that does not change the fact that this will be a difficult game once again. This is at the top of a long list of tough road games for the Jaguars this season.
Week 15: @ Houston Texans (Dec. 20)

The Jaguars and Texans will surely be neck-and-neck throughout the year as they battle for the top spot in the AFC South. The Texans are arguably the best team on the Jaguars' entire schedule, so playing at Houston is going to rank high on this list as long as they continue to win. The Jaguars have lost in gut-wrenching fashion in Houston two years in a row, too.

John Shipley has been covering the Jacksonville Jaguars as a beat reporter and publisher of Jaguar Report since 2019. Previously, he covered UCF's undefeated season as a beat reporter for NSM.Today, covered high school prep sports in Central Florida, and covered local sports and news for the Palatka Daily News. Follow John Shipley on Twitter at @_john_shipley.
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