JACKSONVILLE – Let's get to it …
Nick from London
Five nationally-televised games? We got ourselves some serious Aretha.
The NFL released its 2026 schedule Thursday night – and I suppose the "respect" lens is as good as any lens through which to view the Jaguars' '26 schedule. Quickly, before we begin, the regular-season schedule: Cleveland Browns (Week 1), at Denver Broncos (Week 2), New England Patriots (Week 3), at Cincinnati Bengals (Week 4), Philadelphia Eagles (Week 5) in London, Houston Texans (Week 6) in London, Bye (Week 7), Indianapolis Colts (Week 8), at Baltimore Ravens (Week 9), at Tennessee Titans (Week 10), at New York Giants (Week 11), Titans (Week 12), at Chicago Bears (Week 13), Pittsburgh Steelers (Week 14), at Texans (Week 15), at Dallas Cowboys (Week 16), Washington Commanders (Week 17), at Colts (Week 18). The Jaguars will play five nationally-televised games – two internationally and three in prime time. The three prime-time games: At the Ravens (Thursday, Amazon), home against the Steelers (Monday, ESPN) and at the Cowboys (Sunday, NBC). The two games in London against the Eagles and Texans will be televised nationally on the NFL Network. The two games in an early-season stretch against the teams with AFC's two best records in 2025 – the Broncos (14-3) and Patriots (14-3) – also figure to be televised to much of the nation. There are other lenses through which to view the schedule – difficult early- and late-season stretches and long stretches away from Jacksonville among them – but if you equate television with respect, then yeah … it's time for Aretha to sing.
JAY from THE BURG, FL
When it comes to the schedule, to be the best, you need to play the best. Anytime, anyplace. Iron sharpens Iron, so they say.
It's impossible to truly judge an NFL schedule in May. You don't really know level of difficulty until you know how good or bad teams really are in a given season – and you don't start getting a real feel for that until Week 5 or 6 or so. But the '26 Jaguars' schedule "on paper" is difficult – and there is no way it wasn't going to be difficult. They are playing a "first-place" schedule, which is why they are playing five 2025 division champions: Denver (AFC West), New England (AFC East), Pittsburgh (AFC North), Philadelphia (NFC East) and Chicago (NFC North). They also play in a good division, so they play AFC South rival Houston – a 12-5 wild-card team last season – twice. Other tricky games from this view: at Cincinnati, at Baltimore and at Dallas. Is the schedule tough? Maybe. Guess what? This isn't the Southeastern Conference. It's professional football. There is no such thing as an easy Sunday.
Bradford from Orange Park, FL
I would like to think I am pretty cool – at times, at least. Tough to top Trevor cutting his hair for the schedule release video, though. I don't have to see any other schedule release videos. Jaguars won. And just like on the field ... on the back of Trevor Lawrence.
The Jaguars' '26 schedule release video features Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence cutting his (trademark) locks. The video quickly became something of an "internet sensation." There is some debate over whether Lawrence really cut his hair. Debate is good. It builds character.
Don from Marshall, NC
I wouldn't call it a high and tight, but Trevor cut his freak flag. Best to do it before age sets in! Fun stuff how he did it! Go Jaguars!
When it comes to believing what he saw on the interweb, Don – like many people, apparently – remains "all in."
Dave the Wave from Jacksonville
So, what is going to be the bigger news, the new schedule or Trevor cutting off his hair?
One of the two, apparently.
Richard from Jacksonville
Mr. Funk. This schedule is not fair. The Jaguars only have three prime-time games. The Detroit Lions have more than Jacksonville. The organization gets no respect from the league. Two of the prime-time games are not the home and away games in London. The Raiders with the worst record get much less love with zero because they are in Las Vegas. The league gave an easy schedule to the Lions. The Jaguars have six weeks away from home. I guess not having lights won't be an issue since we are not playing any night games in Jacksonville. How do you feel about all the 1 p.m. start games?
I love 1 p.m. home games. The great crime is we can't have 17. Maybe when the Stadium of the Future opens. A guy can dream, can't he?
Jim from Jagsonville
Trevor cut his hair? Trevor cut his hair! We won the off-season, got prime-time action across the pond, scored a major Thursday Night Football game against the Ravens, going to beat the Steelers in Duval on Monday Night Football, and then we're going to Inglewood, CA! The Teal is Real this year. Let's Go, Jaguars!!
You go, girl.
Paul from St. Augustine, FL
Well, that's one way to get people to quit complaining about the schedule for a moment …
Give it a minute.
JAY from THE BURG FL.
With seven of the last nine games on the road, and two London games before that, we won't have to worry about team bonding. Start fast finish faster like last year. First up Cleveland Browns. Go Jags!
The goal is to win the Super Bowl and to win the Super Bowl, you must be a good team. Good teams win games regardless of the site and good teams are usually good away from home. If the Jaguars are a good team next season, they will win regardless of when they play on the road and how many games they play there. Anytime, anywhere. That's the only approach of any good team.
Gator from Gainesville, FL
We finely git a Sunday nite game then Trevor cuts his hare. One step forwerd and to steps back.
Indead.
Wes from Ponte Vedra, FL
I am not buying the theory that the NFL has a strange new respect for the Jags by placing our best home opponents in London in "prime time." How many people actually watch a 9:30a EST/6:30a PST kickoff? If they wanted to show us any respect they would put our best matchups in a real prime-time slot.
I learned long ago that what I write here in the O-Zone often has limited influence over what readers "buy" or don't "buy." And I don't know how many people actually watch London games. I do know it has been apparent in recent seasons that the league is leaning toward having better, more high-profile matchups for its International Series games. I also know the Jaguars are scheduled to play three times in prime time and twice more in London on national television in 2026. They also likely will have a huge audience for Week 3 home game against the Patriots and they likely will be a feature 4:05 p.m. game against the Broncos in Week 2. I tongue-in-cheek mentioned "respect" recently when discussing the London games against the Eagles and Texans because "respect" is such longstanding obsession with Jaguars fans. I don't know if the league "respects" the Jaguars. I don't know how to define that. I do know that the Jaguars didn't play in high-profile games for a decade and a half because they didn't earn the right to play in those games. They went 13-4 with an AFC South title in 2025 and now they're playing nearly half their schedule in high-profile platforms. Funny how that works.
Jeff from Atlantic Beach, FL
You've been covering the NFL for a long time. Did you foresee the league becoming so popular that even the schedule release has become a much speculated and "can't-miss" event?
The what?
Doug from Jacksonville
This is a day late and probably lost in all the other schedule discussion, but I like a divisional game going to London. We see the Texans every year. I would rather "lose" that game than an opponent we only get to see every now and then. Also: The Jags have the London travel down. It is still somewhat of a "advantage" versus teams that do not travel over there as much. In my opinion rotate the Colts, Titans and Texans every year for the London game.
Some fans historically seem to like division games in London because they want to see a variety of non-division games in Jacksonville. Other fans like the division games in Jacksonville because they want home-field advantage in those important games. The Jaguars have been playing regularly in London since 2013 and I never have sensed anything close to a consensus regarding what teams fans want to see the Jaguars play over there. Fans fan. It is what they do. What they don't often do is agree on much of anything.
Michael from Orange Park, FL
Did he or didn't he?
By golly, we got us a mystery.
