The Jacksonville Jaguars at last know who'll be their opponents for their two London games. Sure, rumors first emerged that the Houston Texans were going to be their opponents at Wembley in Week 6. And just one day before the NFL announced the official slate of international games, a leak revealed that the Jags would play against the Philadelphia Eagles at Tottenham in Week 5. Now, it's official.
Just one day before the NFL announced the full schedule for the 2026 season, it dropped all the dates for the international series. Jacksonville will indeed face the Eagles and Houston in Weeks 5 and 6, respectively.
The Jaguars have a tough slate of London games vs. the Eagles and Texans
The Jaguars will face several playoff teams next season. The Texans (twice) and Philadelphia are two of them. Before the NFL revealed the slate of international games, a CBS Sports analyst suggested it would have been great if Jacksonville had faced off against the rival Tennessee Titans because they're in the early stages of a rebuild and might have presented a more favorable matchup. That won't be the case, though, and a gauntlet awaits the Jags. And that's not a bad thing.
NFL players are a competitive bunch, and Liam Coen is the kind of head coach that won't rest on his laurels even after going 13-4. He'll want to see how he measures up against his peers, and both the Eagles and the Texans give the Jaguars a pair of enticing tests.
Why the Eagles present a tough test for the Jaguars
Philadelphia won the Super Bowl in 2024 but is coming off a slight regression. Quarterback Jalen Hurts left a bit to be desired last year. To help him bounce back, the Eagles fired offensive coordinator Kevin Patullo and brought in Sean Mannion to take his place. Moreover, he'll have a new weapon in first-round receiver Makai Lemon.
If Hurts once again can play like the top-10 quarterback he's previously shown he can be, he'll take off lots of pressure off running back Saquon Barkley.
On defense, Philadelphia traded for pass rusher Jonathan Greenard, who'll join the terrifying defensive tackle duo of Jordan Davis and Jalen Carter. Simply put, the Eagles are a well-rounded team that could give Jacksonville trouble.
The Jaguars could have trouble fending off the Texans
But as formidable as the Eagles could turn out to be, Houston could present an even tougher test. The Jags came close to sweeping their division foe last year, but suffered a meltdown in their second divisional matchup and ended up losing, effectively splitting the series.
It's also worth noting that the Texans made a further playoff run despite the fact that they qualified as a wild card. What's scary is that they could be even better in 2026 if quarterback C.J. Stroud bounces back after an underwhelming 2025.
If Stroud hits his stride, he'll complement one of the best defenses in the NFL, one that includes playmakers such as cornerback Derek Stingley, defensive end Will Anderson Jr., rookie defensive tackle Kayden McDonald, and linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair.
Make no mistake, the Jaguars showed in 2025 that they can go toe-to-toe with the best teams in the NFL. However, they might have a bit of a rough time against the Eagles and Houston.
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