Moeller: Time to Pick The Jaguars' Schedule "Ws" and "Ls"
Ok, Jaguars’ fans, it’s safe to say that the 2026 football season is underway.
Is it time to pick the wins and losses off the schedule?
The pomp and circumstance of the overhyped schedule release show usually serves as the unofficial kickoff. By the time the show aired, mostly everyone knew their team’s schedule due to the massive leaks.
Yet, the more interesting part of the schedule release was each team’s own presentation dealing with a player or players doing something interesting with football.
The Jags had Trevor Lawrence cutting his hair, but it was a well disguised prank as Lawrence wore a wig with his short-hair look.
You can read into that as Lawrence and the Jags being pretty confident heading into the season. The Jags were relatively quiet in the draft, taking care of some needs in spite of some head-scratching picks.
There is plenty of anticipation and speculation for the season ahead. It again will hinge on Lawrence to see if he can raise his game to the next level, as well as if their defense has truly turned the corner.
This is the time when we like to delve out the “Ws” and the “Ls,” only having to rely on last year’s record and an early prognostication of draft picks.
The Jags’ strength of schedule is ranked 15th and ESPN recently ranked them as having the 13th easiest schedule.
By early November - or their eighth game - the Jags should know where they stand for the rest of the season.
They will open against Cleveland, a game that is a must win. They could face either Shedeur Sanders or DeShaun Watson, but the Jags can’t come up flat.
Then it’s a trip to Denver, where they shocked the Broncos last year in a huge win before they return home against New England.
The Pats will be the first of two crucial early tests, as the Jags head to Cincinnati, who may believe is a Super Bowl contending team.
From there, the Jags have a two-week stay in London facing Philadelphia and Houston. They have to hope for a split here with the crucial game being the Texans’ divisional showdown. With their new offensive coordinator, Philly could be taken if the Jags are on top of their game.
After London, the Jags will get a much-deserved bye week, and it should help them when they host Indianapolis in another key divisional showdown. If they are healthy, the Jags will be faced with another must win against the Colts. They then have a quick turnaround with a Thursday night game in Baltimore.
After Baltimore, it’s a stop in Tennessee for a 4:05 start in a game that could be a tussle with Cam Ward.
A trip north to the Meadowlands for a matchup with the Giants and for their first look at Jaxson Dart. This should be a tight battle with the Giants expected to be the division or Wild Card hunt, and it can be a showcase of the game’s more dynamic quarterbacks.
Tennessee then comes to Everback Stadium, and the Jags can’t be looking ahead to a showdown on a likely frigid December 6th day in Chicago, where the Bears also are Super Bowl contenders.
Maybe the most interesting home game and overall contest will be the Steelers with Aaron Rodgers coming to Everbank Stadium on a Monday night showcase (Dec. 14).
Whether or not the Jags win the division or gain a Wild Card could depend on their two-game road trip to Houston and Dallas, the Cowboys’ game being a Sunday night clash.
Jacksonville will close out the season by hosting Washington and traveling to Indianapolis.
It’s an arduous schedule that should generate eight or nine wins, and 10 wins may be a stretch. We should know by mid-November whether this is a legitimate playoff contender that can get past the first round.
But this is May, and it’s still fun to play around with ‘Ws” and “Ls.”
