**Week 1: vs Cleveland Browns**
The team that drafted Travis Hunter against the team that didnât. Trent Baalke, Tyson Campbell, and Quincy Williams against their old team. Todd Monkenâs debut as an NFL head coach. Plenty of storylines to get excited about, but as the Week 1 betting lines indicate, Jacksonvilleâs 2026 home opener shouldnât be very close. *Jaguars 27, Browns 17*
**Week 2: at Denver Broncos**
The Broncos once boasted a 24-game home winning streak in September, as opposing teams have a tough time adjusting to the altitude, but Sean Payton is just 4-7 in the opening month during his time with Denver. And the Jaguars should be juiced up to re-prove themselves after beating the Broncos at Mile High last season. That said, the addition of Jaylen Waddle should make Denver very tough to topple. *Jaguars 21, Broncos 27*
**Week 3: vs New England Patriots**
Drake Mayeâs scrambling ability could give Jacksonville fits, especially if A.J. Brown is down there somewhere, and the DT duo of Milton Williams and Christian Barmore is even more of a threat. Even the most distracting fan-made Rusinni posters may not make much of a difference. *Jaguars 14, Patriots 23*
**Week 4: at Cincinnati Bengals**
Is it good news or bad news that Jake Browning isnât expected to play? Jacksonville would be overcoming its demons of seasons past by winning this one. Iâll be eager to see what defensive coordinator Anthony Campanile has planned for Joe Burrow, and more excited to watch whether Travis Hunter can hold his own against JaâMarr Chase. *Jaguars 34, Bengals 25*
**Week 5: vs Philadelphia Eagles (London)**
Trevor Lawrence has a chance to get his first win against the Eagles after losing to them by eight points in 2022 and by five points in 2024. Philadelphia has a new offensive coordinator for the fourth season in a row, will be without renowned offensive line coach Jeff Stoutland (retired), and is expected to trade star wideout A.J. Brown to New England in a few weeks. Iâm not sure how much longer Howie Roseman and Vic Fangio can lift up Jalen Hurts and Nick Sirianni. *Jaguars 34, Eagles 21*
**Week 6: vs Houston Texans (London)**
As Travis pointed out in his schedule release takeaways, the Texans donât have much experience beyond the U.S. border: Houston has played two international games (1-1) compared to 14 for Jacksonville (7-7). Liam Coenâs troops will also have a rest advantage, having crossed the Atlantic the week prior. *Jaguars 23, Texans 20*
**Week 7: bye**
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**Week 8: vs Indianapolis Colts**
It wouldâve been nice to get the Colts early in the season with Daniel Jones recovering from his Achilles tear. Alas. The Jaguars will have a quarterback advantage either way, plus a rest advantage thanks to the bye, plus true homefield advantage for the only time in a two-month span in the middle of the season. Coen and company wonât be looking ahead in this divisional bout, as Jacksonville will look to extend its 11-game home winning streak against Indianapolis. *Jaguars 24, Colts 13*
**Week 9: at Baltimore Ravens (TNF)**
Baltimoreâs offense will always be a problem with Lamar Jackson and Derrick Henry on the field, and Iâm a believer in new head coach Jesse Minter. Whether their pass-catching and pass-rushing units can get the job done throughout the postseason is the question. Iâm leaning Jags here since thereâs no guarantee that Baltimoreâs young staff will connect with players as quickly as Jacksonvilleâs did. *Jaguars 33, Ravens 31*
**Week 10: at Tennessee Titans**
Jacksonvilleâs interior O-line against Jeffery Simmons and John Franklin-Myers is a far more interesting matchup than âCoen versus Robert Saleh.â Tennesseeâs roster is certainly better on paper compared to a year ago, and Cam Ward had some pretty spectacular flashes as a rookie, but I donât think this team will be much of a threat with Robert Saleh and Brian Daboll calling plays. Coen, Campanile, Shane Steichen, Lou Anarumo, and DeMeco Ryans are easily on a different tier. *Jaguars 30, Titans 14*
**Week 11: at New York Giants**
It wouldâve been nice to get the Giants early in the season with Jaxson Dart, Malik Nabers, and Cam Skattebo all recovering from injuries. Alas. John Harbaughâs second act is among the most fascinating storylines of the upcoming season, and New York could be looking hot when Coenâs crew comes to town. The G-Men could conceivably win four straight against Tennessee, Arizona, Washington, and New Orleans in Weeks 3-6, their Week 8 bye comes between two tough opponents in Houston and Philadelphia, and theyâll host the Commanders on Thursday Night Football in Week 10. *Jaguars 24, Giants 28*
**Week 12: vs Tennessee Titans**
This will be Jacksonvilleâs second game at EverBank Stadium since Week 3. The home crowd should be rockinâ for what will be one of the teamâs last intraconference games of the season. And this is usually the time of year when Trevor Lawrence flips a switch. *Jaguars 99, Titans 0*
**Week 13: at Chicago Bears**
This contest will inevitably be hyped up as Liam Coen versus Ben Johnson and Trevor Lawrence versus Caleb Williams, but we all know that those are faux matchups. Coen and Lawrence shouldnât have too much trouble against Chicagoâs undermanned pass rush, while Johnson and Williams could have trouble getting off the ground against a Campanile-coached run defense that ranked first in the league last season (85.6 yards per game allowed). *Jaguars 24, Bears 23*
**Week 14: vs Pittsburgh Steelers (MNF)**
Pittsburgh replaced its Hall of Fame head coach with a yinzer and downgraded at quarterback from 41-year-old Aaron Rodgers to 42-year-old Aaron Rodgers. Maybe its defense will take a jump with some new ideas entering the building, but unless Rodgers and T.J. Watt play like itâs 2019, the Steelers seem bound for their first losing season since 2003. This is the Jaguarsâ 2026 primetime matchup that is most likely to lose its appeal after the season gets underway, but hey, night games at the âBank are always a thrill. *Jaguars 24, Steelers 12*
**Week 15: at Houston Texans**
Splitting this series feels like a fair projection. Houstonâs defense is as formidable as it gets, but I am interested to see what the drop-off looks like whenever Danielle Hunter starts slowing down. He had 15 sacks in his age-31 season last year. *Jaguars 10, Texans 16*
**Week 16: at Dallas Cowboys (SNF)**
Jacksonvilleâs primetime showdown in Jerry World is an early candidate for the teamâs game of the year. Campanile wonât face a more cerebral quarterback than Prescott, Hunter may not have a fiercer challenge as a cornerback than battling against CeeDee Lamb and George Pickens, and a boost from new Cowboys defensive coordinator Christian Parker could have the Cowboys right in the mix for a top playoff seed. Dallas is one of the few teams outside the NFC West that I could see being a true title contender from that conference. *Jaguars 20, Cowboys 28*
**Week 17: vs Washington Commanders**
I hope Jayden Daniels stays healthy long enough to start in this one. Elite quarterback matchups are a joy to watch, even if the players arenât on the field at the same time. A big-time performance from Daniels may be the only thing keeping Washington close on the scoreboard, because Liam Coen versus Dan Quinn is one of the biggest coaching mismatches on Jacksonvilleâs schedule â assuming Quinn is still around by this point in the season. *Jaguars 41, Commanders 17*
**Week 18: at Indianapolis Colts**
While the whole âDaniel Jones is an MVP-caliber quarterbackâ aspect of the Indianapolisâ 7-1 start last season is probably fugazi, many parts of that run were as authentic as this human-written blog post. Steichen and Anarumo can game-plan their asses off; Jonathan Taylor is among the leagueâs top ball-carriers; and the rest of the roster, while generally lacking star power, is very solid across the board. Yet the AFC South is Jacksonvilleâs to win until Indianapolis or Houston develops a reliable passing attack. *Jaguars 27, Colts 18*
Final prediction: 13-4
