JACKSONVILLE – Let's get to it …

Kenneth from Jacksonville

Zone, this seems like a tough schedule. Your thoughts?

The NFL announced its 2025 schedule Wednesday night, with the Jaguars' schedule as follows: Week 1, home against the Carolina Panthers; Week 2, at the Cincinnati Bengals; Week 3, home against the Houston Texans; Week 4, at the San Francisco 49ers; Week 5, home against the Kansas City Chiefs on Monday Night; Week 6, home against the Seattle Seahawks; Week 7, home against the Los Angeles Rams at Wembley Stadium in London; Week 8, Bye; Week 9, at the Las Vegas Raiders; Week 10, at the Texans; Week 11, home against the Los Angeles Chargers; Week 12, at the Arizona Cardinals; Week 13, at the Tennessee Titans; Week 14, home against the Indianapolis Colts; Week 15, home against the New York Jets; Week 16, at the Denver Broncos; Week 17, at the Colts; Week 18, home against the Titans. My first thought upon seeing the schedule is that it's possibly a very tough first seven games, with five of those seven games against teams with winning records last season and with one of the teams with a losing record – the 49ers – a perennially tough organization that figures to improve from a 6-11 season last season. My second thought is it stays tough after that, with games against Houston and the Chargers among the first four games out of a Week 8 bye. The Jaguars also close the season with four AFC South games in the last six weeks, which means they can control a lot of their destiny late – if they can stay in contention early. Those are the broadbrush thoughts, but the most important schedule thought is always the same – that you don't really know the difficulty of an NFL schedule until a few weeks into the season. Bottom line: Good teams tend to manage schedules well no matter how "tough" they seem and bad teams tend to make seemingly easy schedules look really difficult. Go play the schedule and realize this is the NFL. No schedule is all that easy.

Michael from Orange Park, FL

They got us again. SMH.

I'll assume you're suggesting that the league "got" the Jaguars in some way regarding the schedule. I admit I just don't see it that way, perhaps because experience tells me the league doesn't "get" or "favor" any franchises when it comes to scheduling. Think of it: The league has to schedule 17 games for 32 teams, working around and through different wants for different teams. The league can't make every schedule favorable for every team, and it has no incentive to try. The schedule is the schedule.

Neil from Gilbert, AZ

Any plans for an O-Zone mug? I know my family would appreciate the easy gift idea. Don't worry; the quotes don't have to be profound.

A concept such as this would depend on interest. The quotes wouldn't be profound. I can't imagine why they would be.

Rick from Jacksonville

Just one prime-time game, Zone? Help me understand. What say you?

I say I think the Jaguars should be pleased overall with getting a prime-time game on a Monday. They're a small-market team that went 4-13 last season, so it would have been unusual had the league scheduled them on prime-time more than once or twice. That they're playing a home game on Monday Night Football against the three-time AFC Champion Kansas City Chiefs seems like a very good slot. I was surprised they got it, actually. I think the Jaguars in the coming seasons will be on prime-time consistently, but I wasn't surprised this was their lone appearance in 2025.

Matt from Jacksonville

Has Don ever not been "all in?" And has Gary ever said you do not "suck?"

Goodness no. What would be the fun of that?

Richard from Jacksonville

First thoughts after the schedule release are the same as last year. It seems to me if we hit the bye week at 3-4 we might have an opportunity to play meaningful football late into the year. I understand no one truly know until Week 2 or 3. That being, said what do you think their record is at the bye and end of season?

I lean more to the school of thought that you don't really know a schedule's difficulty until about Week 6 of the regular season. This is because it takes that long for teams to truly settle into a season to get a true idea of what teams are good. But if you believe that 2024 records will translate closely to the quality of the teams in 2025, then yes … the Jaguars would seem to need to stay in contention early to have a chance to make a run late. That will be the "conventional wisdom" storyline entering the season. As far as records, let's go with 3-4 or 4-3 at the bye – give or take – and 8-9 or 9-8 at season's end. The Jaguars expect to be at least a game or two better than that at the end of the regular season because they expect to contend.

John from Jax

Hi, KOAGF - A lot to like about the schedule. Better than I expected. Let's do it and moodachay!

You go, girl.

Lawrence from Blair, NE

I don't live near Jacksonville, so I don't attend any games, but just one home game (realistically, London isn't "home") over nearly two months of football? That seems like a massive mistake by the league. I know if I was a season-ticket holder, I'd be rather upset that I have to go almost a full two months, only being able to see my team in person one time over that period. Do you think it would be a fair thing to be upset about?

I don't know how to define what's fair and what's not in NFL scheduling. I do know that the Jaguars have had some relatively long stretches with just one home game in Jacksonville in the past – including 2023, when they had one game in Jacksonville in a six-week stretch. When you have a London home game and a bye week in an extended midseason stretch, such a scheduling quirk can happen. Remember, too: The league considers London a home game for the Jaguars and they therefore don't consider it a punishment. It's therefore not "unfair" when the league schedules the Jaguars in London and not in Jacksonville. To the league, it's just another Jaguars home game in the scheduling algorithm.

Rob from Pittsburgh, PA

Hey, John. What's up. What is the most improved area on this team, including coaching?

Stay tuned.

Dmiz from Jax

I've been a very active reader for several years, but I had a major brain squeeze the other day. I was watching something on the NFL Network and I had to do a double take as to Mitch Morse being one of the commentators and then I heard through the other commentators that he retired. I have no idea how I missed that. Regardless, what are the Jags' plans now that we lost our starting center who was truly just a filler for last year? I was really expecting him to be a main staple this year for consistency. Who steps in, what happens if our new starter gets hurt, and how the heck is our offensive line going to be better under these circumstances? Do we draft a free agent?

The Jaguars signed Robert Hainsey as an unrestricted free agent from the Tampa Bay Buccaneers this offseason and I don't expect they will be drafting a free agent. I expect Hainsey will start next season and I expect there's a good chance Jonah Monheim – a seventh-round selection in the 2025 NFL Draft from Southern California – will be the backup. Luke Fortner, the starting center in 2022 and 2023, also will compete there. The Jaguars' offensive line can get better in 2025 if the starting five as a group is more physical and find cohesion better than they did during much of 2024.

James from Socorro, NM

Jaguars Executive Vice President of Football Operations Tony Boselli hinted in an interview that the Jaguars may make their throwback jersey their primary jersey, but not this year. Since it has been more than five years since their last uniform change, what is preventing them from making the switch now?

My sense is this is a timing thing. I expect the Jaguars will want to debut new uniforms when they debut the Stadium of the Future in 2028. If they switch "permanent" uniforms now, they wouldn't be able to do it in 2028.

Larry from Wattsburg(h), PA

I really want to be nice. I will reserve judgement but predict the reason I will still be a Jaguars' fan in the future will be the team hack creating compelling copy. I really am not sure I can handle success at this point anyways. #DTWD

I am the king of all hacks.