The Jacksonville Jaguars 2021 schedule is here at last. While we’ve known the opponents for a while, the dates are now official. The Jaguars have had perhaps the most exciting offseason in the league. With the additions of Urban Meyer and Trevor Lawrence, expectations are high. But the team was 1-15 just last season. What can the new look Jags do in 2021? Let’s rank the difficulty of all 17 games.
[pickup_prop id=”7174″]
Jacksonville Jaguars Schedule Breakdown
1. Vs. Buffalo Bills (Week 9)
And to think it was just four years ago that the Blake Bortles led Jaguars defeated the Buffalo Bills 9-6 in the playoffs. This is a different Bills team. They are much more formidable and Josh Allen could once again be an MVP caliber player. Even as a rookie Trevor Lawrence should be able to keep the Jags in games. But the defense likely won’t be able to stop the Bills yet. This will be the most difficult game in the 2021 season.
2. At Seattle Seahawks (Week 8)
This game will be hard for more than one reason. The obvious one is that the Jags have to face the Russell Wilson-led Seattle Seahawks on the road. But this game is also after the bye week. What game is before the bye week? The London game. Yes, there’s a bye week in between, but the Jags will be going from London to Seattle in the space of a game and that doesn’t bode well, especially not against the Seahawks.
3. At Los Angeles Rams (Week 13)
Can you say revenge game? This should be one of the more difficult games on the schedule. However, The Los Angeles Rams have a certain cornerback who faked a back injury while seeking a trade from the Jags. Fans would love nothing more than for Lawrence to put on a show and hand the Rams a loss. Will it be difficult? Yes, but revenge is sweetest served cold and this would be a nice win to have.
4 . At Tennessee Titans (Week 14)
The Tennessee Titans are the Jags’ mortal enemies. Out of their three divisional foes, the Titans are the most hated. While the feeling is mutual, the Titans have gotten the best of the Jaguars in recent years. Plus, the Titans are coming off of two years straight of playoff appearances with one AFC Championship during that time. They are likely to be the AFC South Champs and the Jags are going to have to be on their A-game in Nashville.
5. Vs. Arizona Cardinals (Week 3)
The Arizona Cardinals appeared to be a team on the rise in the 2020 season. They started off 6-3 through the first nine games. However, they finished the season just 8-8, going 2-5 in their last seven games. Regardless, the Cards should be a tough opponent in 2021. Kyler Murray could be a dark horse candidate for MVP. The team also selected some playmakers on both sides of the ball in the draft and added J.J. Watt in the offseason. One plus for the Jags is that it will be a home game.
6. Vs. San Francisco 49ers (Week 11)
Trevor Lawrence vs. Trey Lance. The number one overall pick against the number three overall pick. This should be a tough matchup for the Jags. By week 11, it’s possible Jimmy Garoppolo could move out of the starting lineup in favor of Lance. Either way, the 49ers defense will be a good test for the Jags’ new look offense with Lawrence at the helm.
7. At New England Patriots (Week 17)
This game in particular feels hard to project. The contest will be held in Foxborough on January 2nd, 2022. Playoff hopes could be on the line for either team depending on how the season shakes out. Will Mac Jones have full control of the offense? Regardless, the Patriots did A LOT in free agency and the draft and should look much closer to what we’re used to with New England than last year’s result. Maybe the Jaguars can pull out a victory against Belichick late in the season.
8. At Indianapolis Colts (Week 10)
I’m not too high on the Indianapolis Colts this year. Does Wentz have the talent needed to get back to MVP caliber play at the quarterback position? Sure. But until he proves it, the Colts will be a question mark. Unfortunately, the Jacksonville Jaguars first match-up with the Colts this year will be a road game. Let’s hope the offense is humming by week 10.
9. Vs. Miami Dolphins (Week 6, London)
This game is technically a home game for Jacksonville, even though it’ll be played in London. It’s also the game before bye week for the Jags. It would be nice to notch a victory against a Miami team that humiliated the Jaguars on Thursday Night Football last season. The Dolphins no longer have Fitzmagic, so it will be up to Tua Tagovailoa to lead the team to a victory. The Jaguars schedule before the bye is more favorable than after, so it would be nice to capitalize on this game.
10. Vs. Tennessee Titans (Week 5)
The Jags face Tennessee in week five. This will be a good chance to see how the Jacksonville defensive line is coming along. Can they stop Derrick Henry? Urban Meyer wants the team to have a top eight defensive line in the league. The Titans will be a good measuring stick to guage how defensive coordinator Joe Cullen is coaching his defenders.
11. Vs. Atlanta Falcons (Week 12)
The Atlanta Falcons might be fighting for a wildcard spot if they are lucky this year. They should put on great shows on offense. But their defense is suspect. Two new coaches will face off against each other in Meyer and Arthur Smith. Kyle Pitts could be a match up nightmare for the Jaguars defense. However, this is a very winnable game.
12. Vs. Indianapolis Colts (Week 18)
This game could help decide playoff hopes. Will the Colts still be in the hunt in the regular season finale? Will the Jaguars have a shot at a wild card spot? We’ll see, but the Jacksonville Jaguars seem to have good luck against the Colts in season finales at home. Let’s hope that happens this season. My projection is that the Jaguars will split games with the Colts this year and this will be the win.
13. Vs. Houston Texans (Week 15)
The Texans organization is in shambles. Who will be their quarterback at this point in the season? Will Deshaun Watson play at all this season? Even if Watson plays this year, the Texans are not very good and should end the season with a worse record than Jacksonville. Many are projecting they will have the number one pick in the 2022 NFL Draft. This will be a chance for a home win late in the season.
14. At Cincinnati Bengals (Week 4)
This is the Jacksonville Jaguars lone primetime game for the 2021 season. Being that it’s a Thursday night game, it barely counts as prime time; it’s not the coveted Monday Night Football or Sunday Night Football slot. However, there’s an interesting storyline here. This game will be Joe Burrow vs. Trevor Lawrence. A rematch of the January 13, 2020 National Championship game in which Burrow beat Lawrence. This should be a close one.
15. Vs. Denver Broncos (Week 2)
Vic Fangio looks to be holding a genuine quarterback competition between Drew Lock and Teddy Bridgewater. An early-season matchup against Denver which also happens to be the first home game of the season? This will not be one of the tougher games. This will be Jacksonville’s first chance to see Lawrence play in Duval so you can expect to see the stadium packed and loud.
16. At New York Jets (Week 16)
Though this should not be one of the tougher games for the Jags this year, the Jets shouldn’t be underestimated. I mean, they gifted Trevor Lawrence to the Jaguars. Frank Gore should be enshrined in the Jaguars Ring of Honor for helping secure the Jets’ first victory last year. With a new head coach in Robert Saleh and number two overall pick Zach Wilson, this will be an exciting matchup.
17. At Houston Texans (Week 1)
Yes, week one is listed as the easiest matchup for the Jacksonville Jaguars this year. While it’s a road game, the Jags are playing the Texans. They could be facing a Davis Mills-led Texans. No disrespect to Mills, but he’s not Watson. Pending the outcome of Watson’s current issues, he could be on the Commissioner’s Exempt List during week one. This game will be a chance to start the season outright and get a win in Houston.
[pickup_prop id=”7093″]
Main photo:
Embed from Getty Images
