JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- The Jacksonville Jaguars' 2024 schedule was released along with the rest of the NFL slate on Wednesday.
The Jaguars have one of the toughest schedules in the league and the hardest part might be the start. The Jaguars' first four games are against 2023 playoff teams -- at Miami, Cleveland, at Buffalo and at Houston -- with the Bills game coming on Monday Night Football (the second consecutive season in which the Jaguars are playing on Monday).
The Jaguars play back-to-back games in London for the second season in a row. They're the road team against Chicago at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in Week 6 and the home team against New England at Wembley Stadium in Week 7. The Jaguars won both London games last season (beating Atlanta and Buffalo) and have won three of their last four games in London.
Here's what's in store for the Jaguars:
Jaguars 2024 regular-season schedule
Week 1: Sept. 8 at Miami
Week 2: Sept. 15 vs. Cleveland
Week 3: Sept. 23 at Buffalo (MNF)
Week 4: Sept. 29 at Houston
Week 5: Oct. 6 vs. Indianapolis
Week 6: Oct. 13 at Chicago (Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, London)
Week 7: Oct. 20 vs. New England (Wembley Stadium, London)
Week 8: Oct. 27 vs. Green Bay
Week 9: Nov. 3 at Philadelphia (SNF)
Week 10: Nov. 10 vs. Minnesota
Week 11: Nov. 17 at Detroit
Week 12: BYE
Week 13: Dec. 1 vs. Houston
Week 14: Dec. 8 at Tennessee
Week 15: Dec. 15 vs. N.Y. Jets
Week 16: Dec. 22 at Las Vegas
Week 17: Dec. 29 vs. Tennessee
Week 18: Jan. 4 or 5 at Indianapolis
Strength of schedule: .512 (tied for eighth-hardest)
Over/under: 8.5 wins
Biggest takeaway
If the Jaguars can at least split their first four games, they get a bit of a break until they return from London. That's when they play four more 2023 playoff teams in a five-game span (Green Bay, Philadelphia, Detroit and Houston), a stretch that likely will determine their season. The only non-playoff team in that stretch is Minnesota, which might be starting rookie QB J.J. McCarthy by that point. The Jaguars' Week 12 bye, which comes between the Lions and Texans games, is the latest in franchise history (Week 11 in 2014 and 2022 were the previous latest).
Revenge game
Doug Pederson didn't have a good experience the first time he took the Jaguars back to Philadelphia to face his former team. The Eagles took advantage of five Jaguars turnovers (all by quarterback Trevor Lawrence) and won 29-21 in a consistent rain in 2022. His second chance to beat the team he led to the Super Bowl LI title comes in Week 9 on Sunday Night Football. Pederson was 27-15-1 (including 2-1 in the playoffs) at Lincoln Financial Field in his five seasons as the Eagles' head coach (2016-20).
Bold prediction
The Jaguars will flip their finish from 2023. After an 8-3 start, the Jaguars went 1-5 down the stretch and missed the playoffs. They'll win five of their final six games this time, which will include a sweep of Tennessee, and finish with a winning record for the third consecutive season. That's something the franchise hasn't done since posting four consecutive winning seasons from 1996-99.