The Jacksonville Jaguars will have plenty of doubters to prove wrong during the 2026 season. Jacksonville surprised the NFL by going 13-4 in 2025 and nearly beating Buffalo during the playoffs. But there are still questions surrounding the Jaguars before the new season.
Some of the concern centers around the 2026 NFL Draft. Jacksonville made some unpopular picks in the draft, drawing almost universal criticism. The Jaguars will be under the microscope with more intensity in 2026 because of their draft class and increased expectations following last season.
The NFL released the entire 2026 regular season schedule later this week on May 14th. It will reveal important matchups for each team and allow fans to start fantasizing about the most important games for their team.
But the schedule release can be a double-edged sword. While it can be exciting, it can also reveal which teams face the biggest challenges ahead of the new season.
These three disaster schedule scenarios could torpedo Jacksonville’s Super Bowl hopes before the 2026 season even begins.
Jaguars could have an absolutely frigid winter road schedule
Extremely cold weather could play in this disaster scenario.
Jacksonville has several teams on their road schedule who could be tough draws late in the season. Five of their road opponents (Chicago, Denver, Baltimore, Cincinnati, and New York) have outdoor stadiums and are in climates that have harsh winters.
The absolute worst-case scenario is a series of road games late in the season in all five destinations. That would put Jacksonville in a situation where they may play poorly in the elements week after week.
But there is practically no chance that the NFL scheduled the Jaguars with that many road games in a row. Still, the possibility remains that one or two of those matchups could pop up in December or January.
Cold weather games are not a huge problem in and of themselves. However, they could put the Jaguars in a position to play against their strengths. Remember, the Jaguars lost Travis Etienne during NFL free agency and only replaced him with Chris Rodriguez Jr.
Imagine the Jaguars heading to Soldier Field and facing Ben Johnson’s Bears in a snowy December matchup. That’s the kind of nightmare scenario that could make running the football incredibly important. In that scenario, the Jaguars would almost certain be the underdog.
Hopefully Jacksonville can pull a few home games late in the regular season.
What if the Jaguars play on Thanksgiving against the Cowboys?
Primetime games are incredibly exciting for NFL fans. But they aren’t always a treat for the teams themselves.
That is especially true for international games or games played on a national holiday. These games can throw teams well off their normal routine, which can lead to any number of bad outcomes.
There’s one potential holiday matchup that Jaguars fans have to be rooting against. That is traveling to Dallas to play the Cowboys on Thanksgiving night.
This is a possibility because the Cowboys are one of the teams on the Jaguars’ away schedule.
Playing on a the road on a national holiday takes a toll on any NFL team. There is no reason why the Jaguars should want to give themselves that kind of challenge during an important 2026 campaign.
The good news is that the NFL has scheduled an NFC East opponent for Dallas more often than not over the past few years. Still, there’s the danger that this schedule disaster could ruin Jacksonville’s holiday plans. And possibly set them up for a huge L in front of the entire nation.
Ultimately, A primetime road game on a national holiday might be the worst possible single outcome on Jacksonville’s entire schedule. Hopefully it does not come to pass.
Jacksonville should want a season opener against a division opponent
Week 1 of a new NFL season is always filled with surprising results.
There’s no telling what will happen in Week 1. Every team has months to prepare for their matchup, allowing them to deploy new tricks and wrinkles without putting them on film first. That can create some lopsided games and shocking results that counter offseason narratives.
One of the few ways to make the situation worse is by making it a divisional game.
Division opponents know each other quite well and know how to get under each other’s skin. Beyond that, there’s the fact that divisional matchups are hugely important for tiebreakers once the playoffs draw near.
Of course, a chaotic Week 1 slate can be a problem against any NFL team. It is simply worse when it also results in falling behind in your division right away.
The worst Week 1 divisional matchup for the Jaguars could be the Titans. Tennessee improved a lot during the offseason and has a brand new scheme on both sides of the ball. They may also be extra motivated to be Liam Coen because of his beef with Robert Saleh during the 2025 season.
Regardless, hopefully the Jaguars can save their divisional games for a bit later in the season.
The Jacksonville Jaguars will have plenty of doubters to prove wrong during the 2026 season. Jacksonville surprised the NFL by going 13-4 in 2025 and nearly beating Buffalo during the playoffs. But there are still questions surrounding the Jaguars before the new season. Some of the concern centers around the 2026 NFL Draft.