JACKSONVILLE – Senior writer John Oehser takes a week-by-week look at the Jaguars' 2026 schedule, which was announced Thursday night by the NFL
Week 1 | September 13
Cleveland Browns (5-12, 2025 fourth in AFC North) at EverBank Stadium, 1 p.m., CBS
Breakdown: This is an important regular-season opener for the Jaguars, with back-to-back games against AFC powers Denver and New England in Weeks 2 and 3 – and with four of their five games after Week 1 against teams with winning records in 2025. This season will be the first for the Browns under Head Coach Todd Monken, the Jaguars' wide receivers coach from 2007-2010 who served as Baltimore Ravens' offensive coordinator the past three seasons. Key Browns offseason storyline: Quarterback, where veteran Deshaun Watson is expected to compete with second-year veteran Shedeur Sanders. The Jaguars are 16-15 all-time in regular-season openers, including a 26-10 victory over the Carolina Panthers in Jacksonville in 2025. The Jaguars are 12-8 all-time against the Browns, with the series tied 5-5 in Jacksonville. The Browns won the teams' last meeting, 18-15, in Jacksonville in 2024.
Week 2 | September 20
Denver Broncos (14-3, 2025 first in AFC West) at Empower Field at Mile High in Denver, Colo., 4:05 p.m., CBS
Breakdown: This is the first of back-to-back games for the Jaguars against AFC power teams, and a rematch of one of their signature 2025 victories. The Jaguars last season beat the Broncos in Denver, 34-20 – the sixth victory in an eight-game season-ending winning streak that clinched the AFC South title. Quarterback Trevor Lawrence threw four touchdown passes as the Jaguars snapped an 11-game Broncos 11-game winning streak. The Jaguars are 7-7 against the Broncos all-time in the regular season, 8-8 including the postseason.
Week 3 | September 27
New England Patriots (14-3, 2025 first in AFC East) at EverBank Stadium, 1 p.m., CBS
Breakdown: The second of two consecutive early-season matchups for the Jaguars against defending AFC division champions, this game will mark the Patriots' first appearance in Jacksonville since a 31-20 Week 3 Jaguars victory over New England in 2018. The Jaguars also won the teams' last meeting, 32-16, at Wembley Stadium in London in 2024. This game also will mark the franchises' first meeting as defending division champions since 2018. The Patriots – who played in the Super Bowl following last season and who are considered Super Bowl contenders in 2026 – lead the all-time regular-season series 8-2 with a 12-3 record in the series including the postseason.
Week 4 | October 4
Cincinnati Bengals (6-11, 2025 third in NFC North) at Paycor Stadium in Cincinnati, Ohio, 1 p.m., CBS
Breakdown: This is a rematch of one of the Jaguars' toughest losses of 2025 – and the teams will play in Cincinnati for a second consecutive season. The Jaguars lost to the Bengals, 31-27, at Paycor in Week 2 last season – a game the Jaguars led throughout until Bengals quarterback Jake Browning's quarterback sneak with :18 remaining. The loss also is remembered by Jaguars observers for a go-either-way pass interference call on fourth-and-5 against then-rookie wide receiver/cornerback Travis Hunter that gave the Bengals a first down at the Jaguars 42 with 1:49 remaining. The Bengals played much of the game without starting quarterback Joe Burrow, who left the game with a second-quarter toe injury. The all-time series is tied 13-13.
Week 5 | October 11
Philadelphia Eagles (11-6, 2025 first in NFC East) at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, London, United Kingdom, 9:30 a.m., NFL Network
Breakdown: This will be the Jaguars' first 2026 interconference game and their third game in four weeks against a 2025 division champion. The Eagles are one of the NFL's power teams, with five consecutive postseason appearances and eight postseason appearances in the last nine seasons. They won Super Bowls following the 2017 and 2024 seasons, with a victory over the Jaguars – 28-23 – in Philadelphia in the team's last meeting, 2024. The Eagles lead the all-time series 5-3, with victories in the last five meetings.
Week 6 | October 18
Houston Texans (12-5, 2025 second in AFC South) at Wembley Stadium in Wembley, United Kingdom, 9:30 a.m., NFL Network
Breakdown: The Jaguars' first 2026 AFC South game figures to be critical, with the teams splitting their 2025 meetings – each winning at home – and the Jaguars needing to win their final eight regular-season games to finish a game ahead of the Texans. The game could feature one of the NFL's best offenses in the Jaguars versus perhaps the NFL's best defense in the Texans, with the Texans working this offseason to improve offensively around quarterback C.J. Stroud. The Jaguars won in Jacksonville in Week 3 last season, 17-10. The Texans rallied from a 19-point fourth-quarter deficit for a 36-29 victory in Houston in Week 10 – a game that marked the Jaguars' last loss of the regular season. The Texans lead the all-time series 32-16, with the Texans winning the team's lone previous meeting at Wembley, 26-3, in 2019.
Week 7 | October 25
Bye.
Week 8 | November 1
Indianapolis Colts (8-9, 2025 third in AFC South) at EverBank Stadium, 1 p.m., CBS
Breakdown: This will be the Jaguars' second consecutive AFC South matchup in 2026, this one coming against a team that led the division early in 2025 before injuries ruined its season. The Colts led the AFC South with an 8-2 record before losing their last seven games – with quarterback Daniel Jones missing the last four games after sustaining an Achilles injury in a 36-19 Week 14 loss at Jacksonville. The Jaguars with that victory took a division lead they never relinquished. The Jaguars have won 11 consecutive home games against the Colts, a streak that includes a victory in London in 2016. Key offseason storyline for the Colts: The return to health of Jones, who is projected to enter the season as the starter if healthy. The Colts lead the all-time series, 28-22.
Week 9 | November 5
Baltimore Ravens (8-9, 2025 second in AFC North) at M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore, Md., 8:15 p.m., Amazon
Breakdown: This is the Jaguars' first scheduled prime-time game of the season, and their first visit to Baltimore since a 40-14 victory in the COVID-19 season of 2020. The Ravens are a team in transition this offseason, with Jesse Minter taking over as head coach and replacing John Harbaugh – the latter of whom had been the head coach since 2008. They are expected to be a strong offense with quarterback Lamar Jackson the NFL Most Valuable Player in 2019 and 2023 – and with future Hall of Fame running back Derrick Henry rushing for 1,595 yards in his 10th NFL season last season. The Jaguars lead the all-time series 13-11, with the Ravens winning the team's last meeting – 23-7 in Jacksonville in 2023. The Ravens missed the postseason in 2025 for the first time since 2021.
Week 10 | November 15
Tennessee Titans (3-14, 2025 fourth in AFC South) at Nissan Stadium in Nashville, Tenn., 1 p.m., FOX
Breakdown: This is the first of two meetings between these teams in a three-week span, with the Titans in transition in their first season under Head Coach Robert Saleh – and in their second season with 2025 No. 1 overall selection Cam Ward at quarterback. The Jaguars swept the season series for a third time in four seasons in 2025, winning 41-7 in Jacksonville in the regular-season finale and 25-3 in Nashville in Week 13. The Titans lead the all-time series 35-28, with the Jaguars winning seven of the last eight meetings.
Week 11 | November 22
New York Giants (4-13, 2025 fourth in NFC East) at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J., 1 p.m., CBS
Breakdown: This is the Jaguars' second interconference game of the season, and the fourth consecutive game against a team with a losing record in 2025. The Giants – like the Titans, Browns and Ravens – are in transition, with John Harbaugh taking over as head coach after 18 seasons with the Ravens. Second-year veteran Jaxon Dart appears to be the future at quarterback, and the Giants appear likely to have an improved young defense in 2026. The all-time series is tied 4-4, with the Jaguars winning the teams' last meeting at MetLife – 20-15 in the 2018 regular-season opener. The Giants won the teams' last meeting, 23-17, in Jacksonville in 2022.
Week 12 | November 29
Tennessee Titans (3-14, 2025 fourth in AFC South) at EverBank Stadium, 4:05 p.m., CBS
Breakdown: This is the Jaguars' second game in three weeks versus the Titans, and their fifth consecutive game after the bye week against an opponent with a losing record in 2025. The Jaguars play 2025 playoff games in the ensuing three weeks, making this an "on-paper" big game. The Jaguars lead the all-time regular-season series in Jacksonville, 16-15, with the Titans winning the teams' lone postseason matchup in the AFC Championship Game following the 1999 season. The Jaguars have won the last four meetings in Jacksonville.
Week 13, December 6
Chicago Bears (11-6, 2025 first in NFC North) at Soldier Field in Chicago, Ill., 1 p.m., FOX
Breakdown: This is the first of what appears to be a difficult three-game stretch for the Jaguars – and the first of back-to-back games against 2025 division champions to start December. The Bears and Jaguars were each "surprise teams" from a national perspective in 2025, with the Jaguars improving from 4-13 in 2024 to 13-4 in 2025 and the Bears improving from 5-12 to 11-6 over the same span. The Bears are in their second season under Ben Johnson – like Jaguars Head Coach Liam Coen, one of the NFL's top offensive minds. The Bears lead the all-time series 6-3, winning the team's last meeting 35-16 at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London in Chicago in 2024. The Jaguars won the teams' last meeting in Chicago, 17-16, in 2016.
Week 14 | December 14
Pittsburgh Steelers (10-7, 2025 first in AFC North) at EverBank Stadium, 8:15 p.m., ESPN
Breakdown: This is the second of a three-game December stretch for the Jaguars against 2025 postseason teams, with the Steelers – a Jaguars rival from their early AFC Central days – playing in Jacksonville for the first time since a 27-3 Steelers victory in the 2020 COVID-19 season. This is another 2026 Jaguars opponent in transition, with longtime NFL head coach Mike McCarthy (Green Bay Packers, Dallas Cowboys) taking over for departed Mike Tomlin – the Steelers' head coach from 2007 to 2025. The Steelers never had a losing record under Tomlin and have been in the postseason five of the last six seasons. The all-time regular-season series is tied 13-13, with the Jaguars winning both preseason meetings. The Jaguars won the teams' last meeting, 20-10, in Pittsburgh in 2023.
Week 15 | December 20
Houston Texans (12-5, 2025 second in AFC South) at Reliant Stadium in Houston, 1 p.m., CBS
Breakdown: This is the second meeting of the season between these AFC South rivals – and the third of three consecutive December Jaguars games against 2025 postseason teams. The Texans lead the all-time series in Houston, 17-7, and they have won against the Jaguars there each of the last two seasons.
Week 16 | December 27
Dallas Cowboys (7-9-1, 2025 second in NFC East) at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Tex., 8:20 p.m., NBC
Breakdown: This is the last of five scheduled regular-season national television appearances for the Jaguars in 2026 – and their first regular-season game at Dallas since 2018. It's also their first scheduled Sunday Night Football appearance since 2023, when they lost to the Ravens, 23-7, at home. The Cowboys remain one of the NFL's glamour teams and figure with quarterback Dak Prescott to again be one of the NFL's elite offenses in 2026. The all-time series is tied 4-4, with the Jaguars winning the teams' last meeting – 40-34 in overtime in Jacksonville, a key victory en route to the 2022 AFC South title.
Week 17 | TBD
Washington Commanders (5-12, 2025 third in NFC East) at EverBank Stadium, TBD, TBD
Breakdown: This is the fourth interconference game in seven weeks for the Jaguars – and their lone game in Jacksonville in the final four weeks of the 2026 regular season. The teams last played in the 2022 regular-season opener, with the Commanders winning 28-22 in Landover, Maryland. The Commanders enter 2026 stable, with Dan Quinn entering his third season as head coach. They struggled to a 5-12 finish in 2025 after playing in the NFC Championship following the 2024 season, with third-year quarterback Jayden Daniels figuring to enter the season healthy after missing 10 games due to injury in 2025. The Commanders lead the all-time series 7-1, with the Jaguars' lone victory 26-7 in Jacksonville in 2002.
Week 18 | TBD
Indianapolis Colts (8-9, 2025 third in AFC South) at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, Ind., TBD, TBD
Breakdown: This is the Jaguars' sixth and final AFC South game of the 2026 season – and the second time in three seasons the teams have played in Indianapolis in the regular-season finale. The Colts beat the Jaguars in 26-23, in the 2024 regular-season finale and lead the all-time series in Indianapolis, 18-7.
