Travis Hunter, Jaguars Need to Survive Brutal Early Season Gauntlet

So much for Jacksonville’s quote-unquote easy schedule. Only eight of the Jaguars’ 17 games are against teams that finished with winning records in 2024. However, after the league announced the 2025 slate Wednesday night, five of those eight fell within a murderer’s row early in the season.

After Travis Hunter’s much-anticipated debut at home against Carolina, a team that finished 5-12 but won two of its last three under a reborn Bryce Young, the Jaguars begin a brutal stretch.

That six-game run consists of a visit to Joe Burrow and the Bengals (9-8 last season), home against defending division champ Houston (10-7) and a cross-country flight to San Francisco (6-11). Then, the Jaguars are back home for a Monday night against perennial Super Bowl contender Kansas City (15-2) followed by Seattle (10-7) at home on a short week and a cross-Atlantic flight to London for a tilt against the team that tested the eventual Super Bowl champion more than any other last season, the L.A. Rams.

“If the Jaguars aren't careful, they could be 2-5 or worse heading into their Week 8 bye,” wrote CBS analyst John Breech on Wednesday night.

In other words, by the time Jacksonville boards its Heathrow flight home and enters its Week 8 bye in late October, the Jaguars could be deep in the division cellar. Of course, they also could be above .500 and, if so, will have earned a lot of respect having registered multiple wins during that gauntlet.

But to get there, they’ll have to overcome some serious obstacles. The league should learn quickly when Jacksonville meets Burrow, Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins whether Anthony Campanile has been able to turn around the NFL’s worst passing defense (257.4 yards allowed per game last season).

Then, in Week 3, Jacksonville will need to break a seven-year home losing streak against the Texans. The Jaguars haven’t beaten Houston in Jacksonville since 2017, when Trevor Lawrence was a senior at Cartersville High School in Georgia. If Lawrence can somehow lead the Jaguars to a 3-0 start, the team should be in phenomenal shape.

And that’s the good news for Duval County.

“If the Jaguars can keep their head above water,” Breech said, “they'll get a stretch late in the season where they have three straight games against quarterbacks who will be in their first year with a new team.”

If that holds true, Cam Ward will be navigating the Titans in Week 13 when Jacksonville visits Nashville, Daniel Jones will bring the Colts to EverBank Stadium in Week 14 and Justin Fields will follow with the Jets in Week 15.

“If the Jags can win those three games,” Breech said, “they could find themselves in the thick of the AFC South race heading into the final stretch of the season.”

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