We start the series off with the quarterbacks.

1. Aaron Rodgers, Green Bay Packers: Rodgers is the most efficient quarterback the Jaguars will face during the season.  The guy deserves another ring and has the firepower to go out and get it.  If the Packers even remotely have a running game then the efficiency of Rodgers becomes even more formidable.
2. Tom Brady, New England Patriots: The Jags draw the Patriots, of course.  If Rodgers if the model of efficiency, then Brady is the legend that helped form the mold that Rodgers fits in.  It doesn’t seem to matter who Brady is throwing to, because someone will catch the ball (unless it’s Wes Welker in the Super Bowl).  The guy makes people look good.
3. Matt Schaub, Houston Texans (x2): The Jags play Schaub twice each season – barring injury – and will wish that T.J. Yates was starting again.  Schaub is a big time quarterback with a big time target in Andre Johnson.  He can light it up or dink and dunk you for whatever yardage best fits the offense for the day.
4. 

   Matt Stafford has a serious opportunity to break Drew Brees' single season yards record. Why not this season? Source: Andrew Weber-US PRESSWIRE

   Matt Stafford, Detroit Lions: The Lions rely entirely on Stafford’s arm.  The guy is the youngest to break 5,000 passing yards.  He is a formidable quarterback who is not afraid to sling it.

5. Jay Cutler, Chicago Bears: Like Stafford, Cutler is not afraid to sling the football.  His 26 interceptions two years ago were a problem, but his career high outside of 2009 was 18 (and he only had 7 in 10 games last season).  Cutler will do even better than usual in an offense not designed by Mike Martz.
6. Ryan Fitzpatrick, Buffalo Bills: Fitzpatrick should not be underestimated.  The rifle for Buffalo can thread the needle when he wants to and has talent that far surpasses his win-loss ratio.
7. Matt Hasselbeck, Tennessee Titans (x2): Hasselbeck is an ex-Super Bowl quarterback.  While he may lose the job to Jake Locker, I expect he’ll be able to fend off the younger guy and may even surpass expectations.  His 61.6 completion percentage and his 3,700 yards last year were the highest in four seasons and the highest since the Seahawks went 10-6 under his arm.
8. Andy Dalton, Cincinnati Bengals: I have been an Andy Dalton fan since his days at TCU, but I he is not as good as the other quarterbacks on this list.  He probably won’t be torching any defenses this season (especially if he gets a sophomore slump), but he has the skills to get that good.
9. Mark Sanchez, New York Jets: Sanchez is a winner, somehow he gets his team to the playoffs and succeeds.  The bad news?  He is only 27-20 in his three seasons and is coming off an 8-8 campaign.  The good news?  He threw 26 touchdowns last season.
10. Carson Palmer, Oakland Raiders: I believe that Palmer can turn his game around in Oakland.  Unfortunately, his statistics from last year don’t affirm my faith.  16 interceptions in 10 games doesn’t bode well for him next year.
11. Blaine Gabbert, Jacksonville Jaguars: The Jags have their hands full getting Gabbert to be the best he can be.  Fortunately, his TD-Int ratio isn’t bad.  It just isn’t great either.  He should benefit from a full offseason and hopefully won’t succumb to checkdown syndrome.
12. Christian Ponder, Minnesota Vikings: Christian Ponder does not get the same attention as Blaine Gabbert does for being supremely underwhelming in his rookie year.  Like Gabbert, he was supposed to play behind a veteran quarterback for the season but was pressed into service for 11 games – starting 10.  His 13 touchdowns and 13 interceptions are not impressive and neither is his 1,853 yards.
13. Andrew Luck, Indianapolis Colts: I would put Andre Luck higher, but I am expecting gains from the two second year players above him.  Luck could have a good year but we ultimately won’t know until the season starts.  If he has a rookie season like Peyton Manning, then Luck shouldn’t be any trouble for defenses in 2012.
14. Ryan Tannehill, Miami Dolphins: I do not have a definitive opinion of Tannehill just yet.  I do not think he was worth the eighth overall pick though and I do not think he will have a great time in Miami during his first season, especially when Chad Ochocinco is the top man on his receiving depth chart.

- Luke N. Sims

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We'll see how much you're dancing later in the year. Source: Matt Stamey-US PRESSWIRE

They’re much closer to a comeback than is commonly thought, mark my words.

But then the schedule came out.  Tennessee is geting the attention for having a rough beginning, but they’re a more complete team, they’ll be fine.  The Colts are going to be flat out abused by the opposition, and they should be.  If I am the Bears, Vikings, and Jags I am going to punish Andrew Luck at every opportunity.

The Bears are a playoff caliber team.  In fact, they’re a Superbowl caliber team.  I’ve said it for ages and will continue to say it over and over again until Jay Cutler gets injured (again).  On top of that, they have a superb defense.  One of the most underrated defensive lines in football boasts Julius Peppers (11 sacks in 2011) and Israel Idonije whose five sacks do not do him justice.  The Bears defense will make Andrew Luck wish he never declared for the draft.  Half the reason Peyton was so rarely sacked was because of his experience and quick release.  Luck won’t get a chance to develop at game speed from his back.

Seriously, this guy is insane! Source: Bruce Kluckhohn-US PRESSWIRE

The Vikings take the next jab at the Colts.  You can bet that Jared Allen and Co. will try to abuse Andrew Luck.  Based on the first game (which I fully anticipate to be a whipping of Indy), the Colts may try to run the ball more.  The Colts haven’t fielded a 1,000 yard rusher since 2007.  That isn’t just a testament to how much the offense was channeled through Peyton Manning, or how poor the running backs were, it’s about how poor the offensive line is.  The team will be starting a new center with the departure of Jeff Saturday and the line never was that good, Manning just made them look good.  Jared Allen will get off to a good start trying to beat his 22 sacks in 2011 by going after an inexperienced quarterback with little running help and an offensive line that acts more like a permeable membrane.

And if those two games don’t make Luck want to hang up the cleats, the Colts get the Jags in week three.

The Jaguars are going to be hungry to prove that they made the right decisions over the offseason.  While not fielding unbelievable pass rushing talents like the Vikings or Bears, Jeremy Mincey should be establishing himself as a top threat and whoever is starting opposite him (A rookie?  Aaron Kampman?) will help him establish himself as such.  Not to mention that the Jaguars have a more complete defense than the Colts’ first two opponents.  The 6th ranked defense from a year ago will get itself going quickly with a dominant performance over the already abused Colts.

Fortunately the Colts have their bye week in week four.  Unfortunately that means there are no breaks for the rest of the season.  Even more unfortunately, they open week five against the Packers.  Even if they have any hope later in the season, they finish with two of their final three games against Houston which should squash any comeback hopes late in the season.

I sincerely hope the Colts begin to develop into an NFL threat again, but I just don’t see it happening this season.  The institutions of the defenses that they face at the beginning may just be too demoralizing for the team to come back from at any point in the season.  Jared Allen, Julius Peppers, and the solid front 3/4ths of the Jags defense will make it a tought go of it all season.

I do see two wins against the Browns and Dolphins in weeks seven and nine.  The Colts just need to keep those games in their mind.

- Luke N. Sims

Let’s take this week by week:

1. At Minnesota: The Jags take on the Vikings in the first game of the season.  Of all the NFC North teams to begin the season with, the Vikes are easily the best.  They’re currently in turmoil and outside of running back Adrian Peterson (Who is coming off a knee injury) and defensive end Jared Allen there isn’t too much to be scared of.
2. VS Houston: Hopefully the Jags are coming off a solid win in the first week, because they take on the division champs the following week for the home opener.  Jacksonville will get to test the strength of a depleted Houston roster early in the season and should provide a good indication of how hard the Jags will have to play to vie for the division title.
3. At Indianapolis: Andrew Luck will get a taste of a real defense early in the season. Hopefully the Jags will be up to the task of stopping the rookie quarterback.  The team did a good job of corralling the talented Cam Newton last year and should manage to be effective against Indy’s young quarterback under Mel Tucker’s defense.  If the Jags stumble here it could be the sign of a long season for the Jacksonville faithful.
4. Vs Cincinnati: The Bengals were a very good team last year, far more complete than they were given credit for actually.  With two first round picks in the 2012 draft, the team could get even better, adding more playmakers to an already good young team.  Unless the Jags have already been proven to be in complete rebuilding mode (that Indy game will be the litmus test!) then this game should effectively show how good the team will be against playoff contenders.  I can’t image Cincinnati being worse than 2-1 at this point in the season.
5. Vs Chicago: The Bears have something to prove in the 2012 season.  With a healthy Jay Cutler they may be the true threat out of the NFC North.  They want to show that last year was just a fluke due to injury and they will try to punish the Jags – a team they will probably try to exploit and make a statement with because of Jacksonville’s abysmal 2011 campaign.
6. BYE WEEK: If Terrance Knighton isn’t up to form by now then we’ll be in trouble.  The week will cap off a tough pair of home games and should serve as a very nice breather for the Jags and give them a chance to assess themselves after having played three very good teams in the first five weeks.
7. At Oakland: The Jags will see just how good Carson Palmer is after a full offseason with his new team.  This game could give the Jags a way to show off their defense since the Raiders won’t be able to add many good players in the draft due to the Palmer trade last year.  The Jags should win this one unless Oakland suddenly goes on a run.
8. At Green Bay: I don’t want to chalk this one up as impossible, especially if the Packers regress, but it’ll take something special to beat the Pack at Lambeau at the end of October.  Usually a decent cold-weather team, Jacksonville will really have to prepare for this one.
9. Vs Detroit: When Matt Stafford and Megatron come to town you know it’ll be a long day.  Hopefully there won’t be the same amount of injuries in the secondary for the Jags this year.  If Ashton Youboty is starting at corner again then the Jags may just see a 500 yard performance out of Stafford.  I think this is a winnable game, especially since it’s in Jacksonville, but it’ll be a measure of how this defense has progressed or regressed entering the final part of the season.
10. Vs Indianapolis: This game will show how much Luck has progressed as rookie quarterback during the season.  If he is doing well then the Jags may be in for a long decade, but if he has been struggling then the Jags should be able to capitalize on a team that is still struggling to find the find under themselves.  This is the first of a three game string against division opponents.
11. At Houston: Maybe Matt Schaub will be injured by now again?  No, I’m not hoping for that.  It’ll be curious to see how the Houston defense holds up after losing some quality leadership in DeMeco Ryans and Mario Williams.  It’s tough to lose leaders like that.
12. Vs Tennessee: The last game in the rivalry string and the first of two agains the Titans, this game may be deciding the division crown (I’m thinking Tennessee and Houston will be neck and neck if the Jags aren’t up there with them) or a wildcard jostle behind the Texans.  The Titans should be a cohesive unit at this point in the season, Jake Locker should be starting, and you can never count out Mike Munchak as a gifted coach.
13. At Buffalo: The Bills will get a chance to show off the Jags’ old friend Super Mario in this one.  I just don’t think it’ll help them much and fully expect the Jaguars to do well against Buffalo.
14. Vs New York Jets: The Jets come to town and should be featuring Tim Tebow in his hometown.  If Mark Sanchez is still starting, I’ll be amazed.  I’ll also be amazed if the Jets are still in playoff contention.  It’s about time they took a real step back and I think that happens this year.
15. At Miami: A short trip to Miami to show them that they do indeed still need Chad Henne.  It’d be interesting if Henne was starting for Jacksonville at this point.  Interesting, but I don’t think it’s going to happen.
16. Vs New England: The Patriots have had Jacksonville’s number forever it seems.  Unless New England is resting its starters in preparation for the playoffs (which I doubt they would do) this will be a long day for the Jaguars.  At least Blaine Gabbert should look good against a perennially underachieving Patriots’ defense.
17. At Tennessee: The Jags end their season traveling to Tennessee to show the Titans how much they really did need Peyton Manning.  Jake Locker will play in this game no matter what the Titans’ record is if only to bring them to the playoffs or show what he’s got after two seasons sitting and waiting.  Hopefully this is just a quick stop before the playoffs for Jacksonville.

There you have it dear reader.  It’s all speculation at this point, but I think the Jags have a shot against almost every team on their plate and should do pretty well throughout the year.  Expect some high powered games and some pretty crowded stadiums (thank you Tim Tebow?).

- Luke N. Sims