After a rough 1-2 start to the season, the Jacksonville Jaguars have hit their stride.
Jacksonville is playing its best football going into the latter half of the season and has a Week 9 bye to get healthy. Since the Jaguars’ loss to the Houston Texans in Week 3, they have won five games in a row and only one of those games was played in Jacksonville.
While the remaining games are mathematically easier than most other teams’ schedules, there’s still a handful of tough matchups still on the docket for Jacksonville.
Here are the Jaguars’ nine remaining games ranked from easiest to toughest:
Carolina Panthers (Week 17)
The Carolina Panthers have a few talented players, but they’ve been the worst team in the NFL through the first eight weeks.
Rookie quarterback Bryce Young has been decent in his first year, but he’s clearly still adjusting to the professional level. Wide receiver Adam Thielen is having his most productive season in years, but there’s not much else to fear on the offensive side.
The defense has some solid pieces — Derrick Brown, Brian Burns, and Donte Jackson, to name a few — but the unit hasn’t been scary as a whole.
While the Panthers will have until Week 17 to improve, the Jaguars shouldn’t have much difficulty coming away with a victory.
Tennessee Titans (Week 11)
Two weeks after the Jaguars spend this weekend on bye, they will play their first of two games against the Tennessee Titans.
Jacksonville will host Tennessee for the first game of the series which should give the Jaguars the edge. The two teams typically play each other close, but Jacksonville is the more talented team.
Week 1 starter Ryan Tennehill has been banged up, and his ankle injury currently has him sidelined. As of right now, it’s unclear whether he or rookie Will Levis will play in Week 11.
While playing a rookie signal-caller isn’t typically a positive, Levis had a great first start in Week 8. Depending on the quarterback, the Titans could be two very different teams.
Tennessee Titans (Week 18)
The Jaguars’ Week 18 tilt against the Titans will likely be a more difficult game.
They will be each other’s final opponents of the regular season. The Titans will be playing at home. And Levis will be more polished, or Tannehill will be more healthy.
The Jaguars should still be the better team, but crazy things happen in Week 18.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers (Week 16)
The 2023 Tampa Bay Buccaneers are the definition of a tough out. They’ve lost three straight, but they’ve been challenging against tough teams and beaten middle-of-the-pack squads.
Quarterback Baker Mayfield is always capable of stealing a win, and he and the Bucs will host the Jags for their Week 16 matchup. Receivers Mike Evans and Chris Godwin are always going to give opposing defenses headaches, and Tampa’s defense is full of top-tier talent.
Jacksonville should still be favored to win, but the Buccaneers could give them some trouble.
Houston Texans (Week 12)
The Houston Texans already beat the Jaguars once; why can’t they do it again? Houston upset Jacksonville, 37-17, in Duval in Week 3.
In this meeting, Houston will have the home-field advantage, and Jacksonville will be the team trying to prove itself.
Quarterback C.J. Stroud, receivers Nico Collins and Tank Dell, and offensive coordinator Bobby Slowik have the Texans clicking on offense. But Houston will still be the underdog to a Jaguars team that is over its early hiccups.
Cleveland Browns (Week 14)
While the Cleveland Browns are probably the third-best team in their division, they aren’t an easy team to beat.
Despite selling the farm for Deshaun Watson, they’re still without a serviceable quarterback. But they have solid weapons and a top-tier offensive line.
The Browns’ current claim to fame is their stout defense, though. With Myles Garrett as the anchor, the Browns’ defensive unit has been one of the best in the league.
The Jaguars offense will need to be at the top of its game in Week 14 if it hopes to come away with a victory.
Cincinnati Bengals (Week 13)
The Cincinnati Bengals started the season looking like a different team than the Bengals opposing teams have grown to fear in recent years. However, like Jacksonville, Cincinnati has hit its stride.
The Bengals started 1-3 but are now 4-3 and above .500 for the first time all season. Quarterback Joe Burrow looks more like the MVP candidate the Bengals expected, and Ja’Marr Chase is still a top 10, maybe even top five, wide receiver.
The game against the Bengals will come at the front-end of a three-week stretch against tough AFC North opponents. And with the game slated for Monday Night Football in Week 13, all eyes will be on the teams duking it out to prove themselves as true AFC contenders.
San Francisco 49ers (Week 10)
The San Francisco 49ers started this season looking like a juggernaut. However, they have lost three straight and have slipped out of first place in their division.
While San Francisco is playing its worst football of the year, it is still a top team in the NFL with loads of talent and one of the best head coaches around. And the 49ers got better at the trade deadline.
They signed for Chase Young, giving San Francisco even more juice to what’s become one of the most fearsome defensive fronts in the league.
With both teams playing each other after Week 9 byes, the Jaguars should expect the 49ers to be at the top of their game in Week 10.
Baltimore Ravens (Week 15)
The Baltimore Ravens have an argument for being the best team in football. And the Jaguars will play them after seeing the Bengals and Browns in back-to-back weeks.
Quarterback Lamar Jackson is having one of his best seasons of his career; receiver Zay Flowers and tight end Mark Andrews are extremely dangerous; and the defense has been great this season.
The Ravens have one of the best rosters in the NFL with one of the best coaches in the league in John Harbaugh.
Looking at the Jaguars schedule, their Week 15 matchup with the Ravens will be the biggest test of the season. And they’ll see each other on Sunday Night Football.
