Can the Jacksonville Jaguars overcome a tough 2020 schedule?

The Jacksonville Jaguars schedule was revealed Thursday night with the idea that hope may not be lost if the team can strike early in the season.

If we learned anything about the Jacksonville Jaguars 2020 NFL schedule is this team has a chance to make a statement early in the season, facing their three division rivals within their first five games.

The NFL gods are either throwing this team a lifeline or setting them up for a treacherous climb from the start as they open the season against the Indianapolis Colts with new quarterback Philip Rivers at home on Sept. 13 follow it up with a road game at Tennessee and NFL leading rusher Derrick Henry.

The Jaguars will be tested just like last season as they have three games in an 11-day span with the Miami Dolphins coming to town for a Thursday night tilt with Tua Tagovailoa. If you remember from last season, it was the second and third game of the 2019 campaign that began the tumultuous ride with Jalen Ramsey that ultimately led to him being traded to the Los Angeles Rams.

Oh, thanks Jalen for the extra draft picks.

Road games at Cincinnati and then at Houston round out the first five weeks of the season. Facing Joe Burrow and the Bengals offense should be interesting for a team whose defense looks much different than last season. The Texans will have Deshaun Watson throwing the football, but will not have DeAndre Hopkins playing catch on the outside. Hopkins was traded to the Arizona Cardinals where he can face Ramsey twice a year in the NFC West.

The Jacksonville Jaguars face both the AFC North and the NFC North divisions this year. Home games in Week 6 and Week 16 versus the Detroit Lions and Chicago Bears will give local fans a chance to see unfamiliar opponents. Jacksonville’s defense will face former Jaguars wide receiver Allen Robinson who now plays in the Windy City.

The game with the Lions might be just as important to head coach Matt Patricia as it is to Doug Marrone as both men are firmly on the hot seat going into the 2020 season. Green Bay will host Jacksonville on Nov. 15 it what should be a very cold showdown. Minnesota is indoors where a late-season matchup will test this young offense in Week 13.

The Jaguars see Pittsburgh once again at home, this time in Week 11, and then face Joe Schobert’s former team Cleveland in Week 12. The Week 15 game against the Baltimore Ravens will interesting since Calais Campbell was shipped to Maryland for a fifth-round draft pick.

The bye week comes after Week 6, and then the Jaguars travel to Los Angeles to face the Chargers and former head coach Gus Bradley, who serves as the team’s defensive coordinator.

If anything, the schedule is conducive for this team to get off to a fast start, but the back end could be what decides Marrone’s fate in December and January.