5 Observations on the Jaguars' 2020 Regular Season Schedule

The Jacksonville Jaguars' schedule for the 2020 season is officially set. We have known the opponents for some time, but now we know exactly when the Jaguars will play their toughest competition, how their home games stack up, and any prime-time opportunities they have.

Schedule releases are always a somewhat fickle topic because it is usually a fruitless exercise to look at the success or failure of teams from the year before when determining how difficult a schedule is. For example, teams that saw Jacksonville on their schedule before the 2018 season were likely worried to an extent due to the Jaguars' elite defense and winning season in 2017. But once the games actually got underway, any trepidations about the Jaguars faded as they turned in a losing season.

But there are still takeaways which can be gleaned from the announcement of the 17-week schedules. Coaches often look at the bye weeks, how the early season schedule shapes up, and more, and we can do the same as we attempt to form opinions on the Jaguars' schedule.

It is also worth noting that 2020 will mark the first time since 2012 in which the Jaguars are scheduled to play eight home games in Jacksonville. The team was originally set to play back-to-back home games in London this season, but all international games were canceled by the NFL earlier this week.

So with all that said, here are our five observations on the Jaguars' regular season slate for 2020, and what it could mean for the team's prospects. The full schedule can be found here.

1) The Jaguars couldn't have asked for a better first half schedule

For most NFL teams, the success of a season can hinge on how quickly a team can come out of the gate. Slow starts can often doom seasons before they are even halfway over, while quick starts can help build confidence and momentum, as well as give teams cushions for any margins of error in the event they suffer injuries toward the end of the year and drop games as a result.

For the Jaguars, their early slate is about as forgiving as they could have possibly hoped for. The Jaguars will play three games in September in 2020, including two games at home and two games against AFC South opponents. During head coach Doug Marrone’s three-year tenure with the Jaguars, Jacksonville is 7-4 in the month of September, including 4-3 at home, so September has already been kind to the team in the past. But it is the specific teams the Jaguars will play that has this looking like a positive start to the season.

In Week 1, the Jaguars get their first home game out of the way via a divisional opponent in the Indianapolis Colts. While the Colts are likely a better team than the Jaguars will be in 2020, the Colts haven't won in Jacksonville since 2014, dropping games to Blake Bortles, Cody Kessler, and Gardner Minshew II in the process. The Jaguars will also play the Miami Dolphins at home in Week 3, while they face two other struggling teams weeks later with the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 5 and the Detroit Lions in Week 6.

2) Jacksonville has each of the first-round rookie quarterback teams scheduled, but how many rookie passers will they really face?

There were four quarterbacks chosen in the first round of last month's draft, each landing in wildly different situations but each still being leaned on as the new future of their respective teams. In 2020, the Jaguars will be playing every one of these four teams, though it remains to be seen which rookies they actually play considering how the schedule is set up.

The Jaguars are a lock to play No. 1 overall pick Joe Burrow in Week 5 considering the Bengals have no other option at quarterback. The only event in which the Jaguars won't play Burrow is if he is injured. But two weeks before they play the reigning Heisman Trophy winner, they are scheduled to face off against Miami.

Miami, of course, drafted Alabama quarterback Tua Tagovailoa with the No. 5 overall pick last month, making him the second quarterback drafted. But considering the Jaguars play Miami in Week 3, it is hard to envision the Jaguars will actually see Tagovailoa on the field. With veteran quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick already in the fold, the Dolphins have no reason to rush Tagovailoa onto the field, especially that early in the season. Considering this fact along with the changes made to this year's offseason due to COVID-19, it makes more sense for the rookie passer to not see the field until the second half of the season.

Similarly with the Los Angeles Chargers, who drafted Oregon quarterback Justin Herbert No. 6 overall, it is somewhat hard to see the Chargers opt for a rookie quarterback while they play the Jaguars. The Chargers play Jacksonville in Week 8, which is two weeks before the Chargers' bye week. It would make the most sense for the Chargers to implement Herbert as the starter exiting the bye week, so the Jaguars may see Tyrod Taylor instead.

And then there is the Green Bay Packers and Jordan Love. The Packers have one of the best quarterbacks of the century still starting for them in Aaron Rodgers, so unless he is out with injury is nearly impossible to see Love take the field vs. Jacksonville in Week 10.

3) Final stretch of the season will test the team's revamped run defense

The Jaguars made it a priority this offseason to improve upon the historically poor run defense they field in 2019. From the free agency signings of Joe Schobert, Al Woods, and Rodney Gunter to the drafting of K'Lavon Chaisson and DaVon Hamilton, the Jaguars have done their part to bring in the personnel to stop the run. Now, the question is if their plan will pay off.

The final stretch of the season should determine that for the Jaguars. Why? Just take a look at some of the rushing attacks they are slated to face. They will play Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt in Week 12, Dalvin Cook in Week 13, Derrick Henry in Week 14, Lamar Jackson, Mark Ingram, and J.K. Dobbins in Week 16, and then Marlon Mack and Jonathan Taylor in Week 17. That is a murderers row of rushing offenses, so we will know definitively whether the Jaguars truly upgraded their run defense or not by years end.

4) One prime-time is far from a surprise, but the opponent is a bit of one

The Jaguars only getting one prime-time game is far from a surprise. Most years, they are either slated one or zero altogether. And when the Jaguars do get prime-time ages scheduled, it is typically a Thursday night game, and the last five have been against the Tennessee Titans. In fact, the last time the Jaguars played on Sunday Night Football was against the Pittsburgh Steelers on Oct. 5, 2008, and the last time the Jaguars played on Monday Night Football was a loss to the San Diego Chargers in December 2011.

So, the Jaguars getting one prime-time game, and that game falling on a Thursday night, isn't a surprise at all. What is a surprise, however, is for the game to be against the Miami Dolphins. As we mentioned, it is unlikely Tagovailoa starts that early in the season, and we saw these two teams combine for an 11-21 record last season. Most expectations are for each of the clubs to struggle again in 2020, so it was a curious choice to make this matchup a prime-time game.

The last time these two teams even played in prime-time? More than 20 years ago, as the Jaguars defeated the Dolphins, 28-21, on Monday Night Football on Oct. 12, 1998.

5) Two extra home games give the Jaguars a slightly bigger advantage than originally thought

When the Jaguars were slated to play two home games in London earlier this offseason, it was hard to say the Jaguars were going to get a fair and balanced schedule. London "home" games are difficult to truly call home games because of the taxing travel involved, and each of these games would have been tossups. But now, the Jaguars will play eight games in Jacksonville, bringing more balance to their schedule than they have seen in years.

Considering the fact that the Jaguars' leadership has been given a win-now mandate, having all eight of the Jaguars' home games in Jacksonville is a boon. The possible London opponents would have been the Lions, Titans, Texans, Colts, Browns, or Dolphins. These are either divisional games or games in which the Jaguars are given winnable matchups. Taking any of those games across the pond would have put the Jaguars in a bind, but they now have a legitimate shot to win more games as a result of the games coming back to Jacksonville.