As one of the smaller market NFL teams, the Jacksonville Jaguars usually only receive one prime-time game. The Jaguars’ one game in the spotlight in 2021 was against the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 4 where they lost 24-21. Based on Jacksonville’s struggle and how small of a market it is compared to others, it is likely to only receive one game in prime time once again.
Jacksonville announced its home and away opponents on Wednesday, and the NFL will release the whole schedule on Thursday. The Jags will play the Dallas Cowboys, New York Giants, Baltimore Ravens, and Las Vegas Raiders along with their AFC South foes at home. They will then travel to play the Washington Commanders, Philadelphia Eagles, Detroit Lions, Kansas City Chiefs, Los Angeles Chargers, and the New York Jets along with their divisional opponents.
When looking at these games, there are several outside of the AFC South that would make sense as prime-time matchups for the Jags. In all probability, the NFL will pair them with a team they can be competitive against, which is good for the sake of business.
That said, teams who picked early in the draft order alongside them like both of the New York teams could be options. The Jets especially make a lot of sense because it would set up the No. 1 and No. 2 picks of the 2021 NFL Draft to face off in Trevor Lawrence and Zach Wilson.
Others who could be interesting prime-time opponents include the Las Vegas Raiders and Philadelphia Eagles. The Jags have a respectable all-time record of 5-4 against the Raiders, with the last game occurring in 2019. That game was the last home game for the Raiders in Oakland before moving to Las Vegas, but unfortunately for them, they lost to the Jags that day by a score of 20-16.
As for the Eagles, that’s a game that makes a ton of sense because it’s Doug Pederson’s old team. He was an assistant with them from 2009-12 and their head coach from 2016-20. He also played for the Eagles in 1999.
Now, we would like to hear from you all at home. What team outside the AFC South would you like to see the Jags play in a 2022 prime-time game. Let us know in the poll below.
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