Jaguars Schedule Release: Only 1 Prime Time Game

Get in here for a full breakdown of the Jaguars 2016 Regular Season Schedule!

By Jordan de Lugo

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PRESENTED BY

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Preseason:

@ New York Jets -- Thursday 8/11. 7:30 PM
vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers -- Saturday 8/20. 7:30 PM
vs. Cincinnati Bengals -- Sunday 8/28. 8 PM (Prime Time on NBC)
@ Atlanta Falcons -- Thursday 9/1. 7 PM

As far as preseasons go, this years slate is pretty exciting. The Jags start off on the road against the newly acquired Chris Ivory's former team, the Jets. Then a home game against instate rival the Buccaneers -- Famous Jameis is coming to Duval! The third preseason matchup, which is always the most important as the starters generally play well into the third quarter, is against a perennial playoff team the Cincinnati Bengals and on prime time television -- sure, it's a preseason game, but that will be a good measuring stick for an up and coming Jags roster. They finish the preseason on the first day of September in Atlanta -- a game that won't mean much, unless you're one of the few players on the roster bubble. 

Regular Season: 

vs. Green Bay Packers -- Sunday 9/11. 1 PM
@ San Diego Chargers -- Sunday 9/18. 4:25 PM 
vs. Baltimore Ravens -- Sunday 9/25. 1 PM
vs. Indianapolis Colts -- Sunday 10/2. 9:30 AM (London)
Week 5 -- BYE
@ Chicago Bears -- Sunday 10/16. 1 PM
vs. Oakland Raiders -- Sunday 10/23. 1 PM
@ Tennesse Titans -- Thursday 10/27. 8:25 PM (NFL Network/CBS Prime Time)
@ Kansas City Chiefs -- Sunday 11/6. 1 PM
vs. Houston Texans -- Sunday 11/13. 1 PM
@ Detroit Lions -- Sunday 11/20. 1 PM
@ Buffalo Bills -- Sunday 11/27. 1 PM
vs. Denver Broncos -- Sunday 12/4. 1 PM
vs. Minnesota Vikings -- Sunday 12/11. 1 PM
@ Houston Texans -- Sunday 12/18. 1 PM
vs. Tennessee Titans -- Saturday 12/24. 1 PM
@ Indianapolis Colts -- Sunday 12/1. 1 PM

The Jags have only one prime time game this regular season and it's on the road -- a disappointment to many Jag fans. What should excite fans is playing the Packers at home on opening day and having a Christmas Eve game at home against the Titans. While the Jaguars don't have any three game road trips this season (thank goodness), their hardest road stretch is from October 27th to November 27th when 4 out of 5 games are on the road, but thankfully the road matchups in that time frame are the Titans, Chiefs, Lions, and Bills. The Jags toughest non division games this year are at home including the Packers, Broncos, Vikings, Raiders, and Ravens. This schedule will provide a great opportunity for the Jags to make a strong playoff push with 3 of the last 5 games being at home and each of the last three games being against division opponents.

The Jaguars will have the one of the easiest strengths of schedule in 2016 (on paper), which is pretty exciting, considering they are a team on the brink of becoming a playoff contender. The Jaguars 2016 opponents win percentage in 2015 was .473. The Jags will face 9 teams that won 8 or more games in 2015. Despite the Jags playing over half their schedule against teams that went .500 or better, their opponents were still outscored by a whopping 336 points in 2015. This can be attributed to playing the Titans twice, who had one of the worst point differentials in the league.