There are a few teams that routinely get the primetime treatment, mainly because they’ve been good for a while. The Kansas City Chiefs and the Los Angeles Rams come to mind, and so do the Buffalo Bills.
Similarly, there are clubs that will often get a favorable slot because they’ve got a national profile. The Dallas Cowboys are one of them. They haven’t made it to the NFC Championship since the 1990s but they got such a big following that the NFL knows fans will tune in to watch them play.
On the other hand, there are teams like the Jacksonville Jaguars. The kind that only gets one primetime game per year if they’re lucky. Even after playing in the AFC Championship in 2017, they only got one and it was one on Thursday night, which doesn’t have the same appeal as playing on either Sunday or Monday Night.
Then again, the Jags have no one to blame but themselves. They haven’t been competitive in a while and nobody wants to tune in to a game only to see a team getting blown out. Sure, they got will face off against the Denver Broncos at Wembley Stadium on October 30th but the game will be held at 9:30 AM and nobody wants to wake up at such an early time on Sunday Morning.
The opponents for Jaguars in the 2022 season are already set but not the dates. The NFL will announce them on May 12th. Based on their 2021 record, Jacksonville won’t get many primetime games, which is a shame because some of their games figure to have enticing storylines. Here are five that fit that category.
1. The Jacksonville Jaguars vs. The Washington Commanders at FedEx Field.
The Jaguars and the Commanders have something in common: Neither club has been good in a while and both of them have had to deal with a certain level of dysfunction and controversy at the top. While the gap between the two teams isn’t that wide, Washington has been the most successful of the two, at least on the football field.
The Commanders are far from a powerhouse but they qualified for the postseason in 2020 and made the playoffs in 2012 and 2015. Meanwhile, the Jags have been to the playoffs just once since 2007. That’s not the kind of track record that inspires confidence. On the bright side, they could leave the cellar of the NFL soon. After several failed attempts to address the quarterback position, the Jaguars finally got it right with Trevor Lawrence in 2021.
Jacksonville recognizes that they have a potential franchise quarterback and have spent the offseason getting him a better supporting cast. They also hired Doug Pederson as their head coach to oversee Lawrence’s development and untap his potential.
Washington also desperately tried to upgrade their quarterback room and ended up settling on Carson Wentz, who arrive via trade from the Indianapolis Colts. That’s right, coach Pederson will have a chance to face off against his former pupil this upcoming season.
As the head coach of the Philadelphia Eagles, Pederson helped Wentz play at an MVP-like level in 2017. However, Pederson was fired after the 2020 season and Wentz’s performance has declined considerably. When the Jags take on the Commanders in 2022, they will get to see each other.
2. The Jacksonville Jaguars vs. The Houston Texans at TIAA Bank Field.
Just like the Jaguars, the Texans hired a new head coach last year. And just like the Jags, the Texans already fired their head coach and hired their replacement, Doug Pederson in Jacksonville’s case, and Lovie Smith for Houston. But that’s not where the similarities end. Both teams drafted quarterbacks in 2021, Trevor Lawrence and Davis Mills, respectively. Last but not least, both clubs will try to crawl out of the basement of the league.
Last season, the Texans had one more win than the Jags but two of them came against their division archrivals. To nobody’s surprise, these two AFC South teams have spent the offseason trying to upgrade their roster. Observers believe Houston has done a better job. However, the Jaguars have a quarterback with more upside and a head coach that has fared better in recent years.
Smith took the Chicago Bears to Super Bowl 41 and also played in the 2010 NFC Championship but that’s where his postseason resume ends. Meanwhile, Pederson helped the Philadelphia Eagles make the playoffs in three consecutive years during his five-year stint and also won the first Super Bowl in franchise history.
Smith has a defensive background while Pederson’s expertise is on offense, which will benefit Trevor Lawrence immensely. The Jags looked like the better squad on paper last year but lost twice to the Texans. They need to start winning more divisional games and they will have a chance in 2022.
3. The Jacksonville Jaguars vs the Indianapolis Colts at Lucas Oil Stadium.
Here’s another divisional matchup but this one is a bit different because the Colts haven’t been able to beat the Jaguars at TIAA Bank Field since 2014. Moreover, Jacksonville knocked Indy out of playoff contention in Week 18 of the 2021 season.
Had the Colts beaten the Jags (or the Las Vegas Raiders one week before), they would have qualified for the playoffs. Instead, they had to watch at home and take a long look at how they were doing things. This prompted general manager Chris Ballard to move on from Carson Wentz just one season after acquiring him in exchange for a first-round pick. Looking back, the Eagles won the trade while the Colts had to go back to square one.
In the end, Indianapolis managed to land Matt Ryan, who will be a significant upgrade at quarterback. With a proven signal-caller at the helm, the Colts should have no trouble returning to the playoffs. On the other hand, the Jags are a young team that will try to keep up with the rest of the division. They can’t just take on the Colts at their home stadium and think they have a guaranteed win on their schedule. Similarly, it’s time for Jacksonville to aim at sweeping the Colts, as unlikely as that may be.
The Jags can’t talk about playoffs if they can’t take care of business in their own division. That’s why they can no longer settle on beating the Colts at TIAA Bank Field and they must also do it at Lucas Oil Stadium.
4. The Jacksonville Jaguars vs. the NY Jets at MetLife Stadium.
Here’s another team that also drafted a quarterback in 2021 but unlike the Jaguars, the New York Jets didn’t fire their head coach after just one season and Robert Saleh remains at the helm. The Gang Green has gotten rave reviews and plenty of praise for their 2022 draft class.
At No. 4, the Jets selected Sauce Gardner, arguably the best cornerback in the draft. With their second first-round pick, they got Zach Wilson a potential number one receiver in Ohio’s Garret Wilson. New York then saw an opportunity at No. 26 and traded up to get Florida State defensive end Jermaine Johnson. If that wasn’t enough, they managed to get arguably the best running back in the selection meeting, Iowa State’s Breece Hall.
You could make the case that New York indeed had a better draft than the Jaguars but the latter had a more fruitful free agency. Either way, both teams are building around a young quarterback, Zach Wilson, and Trevor Lawrence, respectively.
Last season, the Jets got the best of the Jags in Week 16, earning their fourth (and last) victory of the year. In 2022, Jacksonville will try to show they picked the right quarterback in the 2021 draft. Lawrence versus Wilson doesn’t have the same luster as Manning versus Brady but this could be the beginning of a heated rivalry. Then again, it can’t be considered a rivalry if the Jags lose. That’s why they need to come out of MetLife Stadium with a win.
5. The Jacksonville Jaguars vs the NY Giants at TIAA Bank Field.
You can call this the Snub Bowl, or the “Players the Jaguars passed on the draft” game, or any variations of that. There are going to be very intriguing games on Jacksonville’s schedule this upcoming season but this one will be a bit special because they will get to play against two players they could have selected with the top pick in this year’s selection meeting but didn’t.
In case you missed it, the Jags chose Georgia defensive lineman Travon Walker at No. 1 but they could have easily taken Alabama offensive tackle Evan Neal and Oregon defensive lineman Kayvon Thibodeaux. At some point in the draft process, both Neal and Thibodeaux were mocked to Jacksonville but in the end, they chose to fortify their front seven with Walker
Meanwhile, the New York Giants were able to land both Neal and Thibodeaux, and just like the Jets, they got positive reviews for their haul. It’s unlikely that either prospect feels snubbed for not being drafted first overall but they would surely like the show the Jags chose the wrong player.
On the other hand, general manager Trent Baalke will have the opportunity to validate the Jags’ decision to keep him around and show he got the first overall pick right. Neither team might make the playoffs in 2022 but they must show they’re moving in the right direction. This in turn makes it an interesting matchup, that will feature two clubs that are trying to improve after years of subpar results.