The Jacksonville Jaguars will open the 2009 season on the road against the division-rival Indianapolis Colts on Sept. 13. The home portion of the Jaguars' schedule begins against defending NFC champion Arizona Cardinals on Sept. 20 and ends with a Thursday night game on NFL Network against Indianapolis on Dec. 17.
When the Jaguars embark upon their 15th season, three of their first four games will be against AFC South opponents, including two on the road, and three of the first four games are against 2008 playoff teams.
Fifteen of the Jaguars' 16 regular season games during the 2009 season will be played on Sundays, with 12 scheduled for 1:00 p.m. ET kickoffs and three late afternoon games. The schedule features four playoff teams from 2008 and six games against playoff teams - the Colts and Titans twice, as well as the Cardinals and Dolphins. The Jaguars will have 10 games against teams that finished .500 or better in 2008, and three against division winners.
The Jaguars open the regular season on the road for the second consecutive season and the seventh time in club history. The Jaguars' opener at Indianapolis marks the eighth time that the club will open a regular season against a divisional opponent and third consecutive season. The Jaguars own a 9-5 mark (.643 winning percentage in their 14-year history) in opening day games.
The Jaguars will host defending NFC champion Arizona in their home opener at Jacksonville Municipal Stadium on Sunday, September 20. The Jaguars play back-to-back division games beginning on September 27 at Houston, and host Tennessee on Sunday, October 4. The Jaguars will play their 31st and 32nd games against the Tennessee Titans (including playoffs), the most against any NFL team.
The Jaguars play back-to-back games against NFC opponents as they play at Seattle on Sunday, October 11 and host St. Louis on Sunday, October 18 before observing their bye week. The Seahawks game is the first of two west coast games and marks only the second game at Seattle in franchise history (2001). It is the second consecutive season the club will have a bye in week seven.
Following the bye week, the Jaguars open November with a trip to Tennessee on Sunday, November 1. They host Kansas City the following week on Sunday, November 8 before playing at the New York Jets on Sunday, November 15. The Jaguars return home to face the Buffalo Bills on Sunday, November 22, the third consecutive season the teams will meet. The Jaguars finish the month of November with a road game at San Francisco on Sunday, November 29. It marks the first regular season game in San Francisco in Jaguars history.
The Jaguars conclude the season with three consecutive home games and two road games in December-January. The Jaguars host Houston on Sunday, December 6 and Miami on Sunday, December 13. The Jaguars conclude the home portion of their schedule on Thursday, December 17 by hosting Indianapolis on NFL Network at 8:20 p.m. That game marks the fifth consecutive season the teams will meet in December and second straight season the Jaguars meet the Colts in their home-finale on a Thursday night.
The Jaguars close out the 2009 regular season with back-to-back road games at New England on Sunday, December 27 and at Cleveland on Sunday, January 3. It will mark the ninth time in club history the Jaguars have concluded the regular season on the road, including nine times in the last 10 seasons.
2009 JAGUARS SCHEDULE NOTES
PRESEASON SCHEDULE NOTES
The Jaguars open the preseason against Miami (date TBA) for the sixth consecutive season and meet the Dolphins for the eighth time overall. The preseason home opener is set for Saturday, August 22 against Tampa Bay. The teams are meeting for the eighth consecutive preseason. The Jaguars travel to Philadelphia on Thursday, August 27, their first ever meeting against the Eagles in the preseason. The preseason concludes on Thursday, September 3 against Washington.
KICKOFF WEEKEND BEGINS ON THE ROAD AGAIN
The Jaguars will open the regular season on the road for the second consecutive season and seventh time in club history. The Jaguars own a 9-5 mark (.643 winning percentage in their 14-year history) in opening day games.
WELCOME TO JACKSONVILLE
St. Louis will visit Jacksonville for the first time on Sunday, October 18. The Rams are the only NFL team to never play a regular season game in Jacksonville.
SEASON ENDS WITH BACK-TO-BACK ROAD GAMES
The Jaguars conclude the regular season with back-to-back road games for the first time since 2000 and third time overall. The Jaguars play at New England on Sunday, December 27 and at Cleveland on Sunday, January 3. It marks the second latest date for a regular season finale in team history (January 6, 2001 at Chicago).
WEST COAST
The Jaguars will play two games on the west coast in 2009 with trips to Seattle on Sunday, October 11 and at San Francisco on Sunday, November 29. It marks only the second time in franchise history (2004) the club will have two road games against west coast opponents. The Jaguars finished 1-1 in 2004 with a 34-21 loss at San Diego and a 13-6 win in the regular season finale at Oakland. The Jaguars will travel to San Francisco for the first time in the regular season. The Jaguars own a 2-0 record against the 49ers with home wins in 1999 and 2005.
FAMILIAR OPPONENTS
The Jaguars face two non-division foes for the second consecutive season in Buffalo and Cleveland. The Bills will make their second straight trip to Jacksonville on Sunday, November 22. The Jaguars and Bills will meet for the third consecutive season and fifth time in the last six seasons. The Jaguars play at Cleveland on Sunday, January 3. In addition, the Jaguars will play New England for the fifth time in seven seasons under head coach Jack Del Rio including postseason games.
NO DOMED STADIUMS IN 2009
Of the Jaguars' eight regular season road games, two will be played in stadiums with retractable roofs (Indianapolis, Houston). This will be only the second time in franchise history (1997) the club will not play in a domed stadium. In addition, 16 of the Jaguars' 20 games including preseason will be played on grass. New England, Indianapolis, Seattle and the New York Jets play on FieldTurf.
SCHEDULE FEATURES TEAMS WITH WINNING RECORDS IN 2008
The schedule features four playoff teams from 2008 and six games against playoff teams - the Colts and Titans twice, as well as the Cardinals and Dolphins. The Jaguars will have 10 games against teams that finished .500 or better in 2008, and three against division winners.
NON-CONFERENCE GAMES
Three of the club's four non-conference games will be played in a five-game stretch
including games in back-to-back weeks. The Jaguars play their home opener on Sunday, September 20 against Arizona followed by back-to-back games at Seattle on October 11 and home against St. Louis on October 18. Following the Cardinals game, the Jaguars travel to Seattle The final non-conference game will be held on November 29 at San Francisco.
TIDBITS
The Jaguars will play back-to-back road games and back-to-back home games once … The Jaguars are 11-8 in nationally televised prime time games at home. The club will play on Thursday night against Indianapolis at home for the second consecutive season … The Jaguars will travel 9,698 to their eight regular season road games. The longest trips are to Seattle (2,443) and San Francisco (2,384).
