Preseason schedule notes
The Jaguars are the only team in the NFL to have all four preseason games against 2011 playoff teams.
The Jaguars open the preseason at home against the Super Bowl champion New York Giants and former Jaguars head coach Tom Coughlin. It marks the third time in franchise history the Jaguars have faced a defending Super Bowl champion in the preseason (Tampa Bay, 2003; New England, 2004). It marks the first time since 2008 the Jaguars will open the preseason slate at home.
The Jaguars visit New Orleans in week two for the first preseason game in team history against the Saints. In week three, the Jaguars travel to Baltimore for their first-ever preseason game against the Ravens. The Jaguars conclude the preseason at home against Atlanta. The Jaguars and Falcons have met in the preseason five of the last seven seasons. The Jaguars have a 40-29 record in the preseason in their 17 seasons and they have posted a .500 record or better in 13 of the 17 preseasons.
Dates and times of each game will be announced at a later date.
One West Coast trip
The Jaguars' only game on the west coast in 2012 will be Sunday, October 21 at Oakland, one of five games outside the Eastern time zone (at Green Bay, at Minnesota, at Houston, at Tennessee). The Jaguars did not have a game on the west coast in 2011. In 17 seasons, the Jaguars have had at least one game on the west coast in seven seasons (1996, 1997, 2001, 2004, 2005, 2009, 2010).
The Jaguars will travel 9,228 miles to their eight regular season road games, nearly 4,000 miles more than the 2011 season (5,339). The longest trip is to Oakland (2,765) followed by Minnesota (1,461) and Green Bay (1,267).
Prime time game
The Jaguars host the Indianapolis Colts on Thursday, November 8 in a game nationally televised on NFL Network. The Jaguars have played in 31 nationally televised prime time games in their 17 seasons, at least one each season, with a record of 14-17. The Jaguars finished 1-2 in nationally televised prime time games in 2011.
The Jaguars have played on Thursday night on NFL Network in three of the last four seasons and faced the Colts in two of those games (2008, 2009). The Jaguars own a 1-4 overall record on Thursday night with four of the games coming at EverBank Field.
Competitive schedule
The Jaguars' 2012 schedule features five teams that qualified for the 2011 postseason – the Texans twice (Sept. 16, Nov. 18), as well as the Bengals (Sept. 30), Packers (Oct. 28), Lions (Nov. 4) and Patriots (Dec. 23). The Jaguars will play 11 games against teams that finished .500 or better in 2011. The Jaguars 2012 schedule ties for the 14th-toughest in the NFL based on 2011 records.
Super Bowl participants
The Jaguars will face Super Bowl runner-up New England on Sunday, December 23. It marks the 13th time in franchise history the club will play a participant from the previous Super Bowl in the regular season. The Jaguars have faced six Super Bowl defending champions including the Steelers in 2006.
Jaguars to battle NFC North and AFC East
The Jaguars will face all four NFC North teams in 2012 for the third time (2004, 2008) in franchise history. The club last faced the NFC North in 2008 and finished 2-2 with wins over Detroit and Green Bay and losses against Minnesota and at Chicago. The Jaguars will host Chicago (Oct. 7) and Detroit (Nov. 4) and travel to Minnesota (Sept. 9) and Green Bay (Oct. 28).
The Jaguars will battle the four teams currently in the AFC East for the fourth time (2003, 2006, 2009) in franchise history and meet the teams in successive weeks. The Jaguars have a 13-14 combined record against the four teams. The Jaguars have a record of .500 or better against three of the four teams: Buffalo (5-5), Miami (2-2), New York Jets (6-2) and New England (0-5).
Streak of non-division games
After opening the season with two of the first three games against division opponents, the Jaguars will play five straight games outside of the division. The Jaguars return to division play on Thursday, November 8 when they host Indianapolis.
The Jaguars will play all four of their non-conference games in the first nine weeks of the season. The Jaguars host Detroit on Sunday, November 4 in the final non-conference game of the season.
Winning on the road is key
The Jaguars will be able to measure their success by how well they play on the road early and late in the season. Two of the first three games (at Minnesota, at Indianapolis) and two of the last three games (at Miami, at Tennessee) will be played on the road.
Familiar foe, another trip to New York
The Jaguars will clash with the Buffalo Bills on Sunday, December 2 at Ralph Wilson Stadium. It marks the sixth time in the last seven seasons the teams will square off in the regular season. The overall series is tied, 5-5, and the Jaguars have won three of the last four games.
The Jaguars have played (including playoffs) at the stadium of a New York-based team in 14 of the previous 17 seasons (2001, 2007, 2008). The Jaguars faced the Jets and Giants, respectively, the last two seasons at MetLife Stadium. The Jaguars edged the Bills, 36-26, at Buffalo in 2010.
Grass vs. turf in 2012
The Jaguars will play 15 of their 20 games, including the preseason, on grass. The only games to be played on artificial turf in the preseason will be at New Orleans and at Baltimore, and during the regular season at Buffalo, at Minnesota and at Indianapolis.
Playing under a dome
The Jaguars will open the regular season on Sunday, September 9 at the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome against the Minnesota Vikings, their only regular season game in a domed stadium in 2012.
The Jaguars have played a game in a domed stadium 14 of the previous 17 seasons in team history. The only seasons the team did not play in a domed stadium were 1997, 2009 and 2010. Houston and Indianapolis have retractable roofs.
Clash of the Titans
The Jaguars will play their 35th and 36th games, the most against any NFL team, against the Tennessee Titans at home on Sunday, November 25 and on the road on Sunday, December 30. The Titans own a 20-15 edge in the series. The teams have split the season series in five of the last six seasons including the last three seasons.
Florida sunshine
The Jaguars have two games at EverBank Field in September when temperatures should be on the warm side with Houston (Sept. 16) and Cincinnati (Sept. 30).
The Jaguars have played 36 games in 17 seasons with the kickoff temperature at 81 degrees or higher, the fourth-most in the NFL during that span, and they have taken advantage of the climate. The Jaguars are third in the NFL with a .694 winning percentage (25-11) in games played with temperatures at 81 degrees or above in the past 17 seasons.
The Jaguars have had four games with temperature at kickoff of 88 degrees or higher, with two on the road and two at home. The temperature at kickoff against Tennessee on Kickoff Weekend in 2011 was 87 degrees.
Jaguars conclude season with division game
In 2010 the NFL placed an emphasis on scheduling divisional games late in the season and this was accomplished again this season. For the third consecutive season, the Jaguars have only two division games in the first half of the season with Houston on September 16 and at Indianapolis on September 23. The Jaguars conclude the regular season with an AFC South game on Sunday, December 30 at Tennessee.
Prelude to the postseason?
The Jaguars will conclude the regular season on the road for the sixth time in the last seven seasons and the 12th time overall as they visit Tennessee on Sunday, December 30. It marks the second time the Jaguars will face the Titans in the regular season finale (2005).
4:00 kickoffs
The Jaguars have two games that kick off at 4:05 p.m. Eastern time: Sept. 30 vs. Cincinnati; Oct. 7 vs. Chicago and a 4:15 p.m. game at Oakland on October 21. The three games are consecutive.
Home field advantage
The Jaguars will play three of their first five games at home for the third consecutive season. The Jaguars own an 83-53 home mark in 17 seasons.
