Hays Carlyon's Jaguars Blog

Jaguars will win eight games with this schedule

todayMay 12, 2022

Background

By Hays Carlyon

 

The Urban decay is gone.

The Renaissance led by Trevor Lawrence and Doug Pederson is here.

The good times are coming.

The Jaguars will win eight games this season after going a miserable 4-29 combined over the last two seasons.

The head coach has been dramatically upgraded as Pederson, a Super Bowl champion, takes over for the stunningly unprepared Meyer.

The offense lost three players of significance in receiver DJ Chark, center Brandon Linder and left guard Andrew Norwell. It gained right guard Brandon Scherff, receiver Christian Kirk, tight end Evan Engram, receiver Zay Jones in free agency, as well as third-round rookie center Luke Fortner. Running back Travis Etienne also is healthy after missing his entire rookie season with a Lisfranc injury.

Defensively, the Jaguars are massively improved. The unit lost two consequential players: linebackers Myles Jack and Damien Wilson. The Jaguars invested a ton of resources this offseason: No. 1 pick outside linebacker Travon Walker, first-round inside linebacker Devin Lloyd and third-round inside linebacker Chad Muma followed an active free-agent haul of inside linebacker Foye Oluokun, defensive tackle Foley Fatukasi and cornerback Darious Williams.

Now, we know the Jaguars path with the NFL releasing the regular-season schedule Thursday night. Here’s what I expect.

Week 1: at Washington, Sunday, Sept. 11

The pick: Jaguars 19-13.

Why: Commanders QB Carson Wentz will stink again in a pressure-cooker opener for him in his Washington debut. The Jaguars offense does enough against a high-quality Commanders defense.

Week 2: vs. Indianapolis, Sunday, Sept. 18

The pick: Jaguars 31-20.

Why: The Colts melt down again in Jacksonville, as Etienne scores three times.

Week 3: at Los Angeles Chargers, Sunday, Sept. 25

The pick: Chargers 38-17.

Why: The trip is daunting and the Chargers are really good.

Week 4: at Philadelphia, Sunday, Oct. 2

The pick: Eagles 24-23.

Why: Don’t you just know Philadelphia backup QB Gardner Minshew will play in this game and be the difference in an Eagles win?

Week 5: vs. Houston, Sunday, Oct. 9

The pick: Jaguars 30-20.

Why: The Texans will be dreadful. Yes, I thought that last year and they swept the Jaguars. This time I’m right. Jaguars force four turnovers.

Week 6: at Indianapolis, Sunday, Oct. 16

The pick: Colts 27-24.

Why: The season slate with the Colts ends in another split and oddly well before Halloween.

Week 7: vs. New York Giants, Sunday, Oct. 23

The pick: Jaguars 28-14.

Why: Giants QB Daniel Jones will be feeling the pressure and will unravel in this game. Lawrence accounts for all four touchdowns.

Week 8: vs. Denver (in London), Sunday, Oct. 30

The pick: Broncos 24-17.

Why: New Broncos QB Russell Wilson will be too much.

Week 9: vs. Las Vegas, Sunday, Nov. 6

The pick: Raiders 31-20.

Why: Not having the bye after the London trip really hurts.

Week 10: at Kansas City, Sunday, Nov. 13

The pick: Chiefs 38-24.

Why: This is the hardest game on the schedule and the 10th consecutive game without a break. Ugly.

Week 11: Bye, Nov. 20 (finally!)

Week 12: vs. Baltimore, Sunday, Nov. 27

The pick: Ravens 27-17.

Why: The Jaguars drop a fourth consecutive game to fall to 4-7.

Week 13: at Detroit, Sunday, Dec. 4

The pick: Jaguars 31-16.

Why: Lawrence throws three touchdowns as the Jaguars snap the skid.

Week 14: at Tennessee, Sunday, Dec. 11

The pick: Titans 26-20.

Why: The Jaguars never win up there.

Week 15: vs. Dallas, Sunday, Dec. 18

The pick: Cowboys 34-28.

Why: An exciting game but the loss drops the Jaguars to 5-9 and out of playoff contention.

Week 16: at New York Jets, Thursday night, Dec. 22

The pick: Jaguars 27-10.

Why: Lawrence shows he’s so much better than Zach Wilson.

Week 17: at Houston, Sunday, Jan. 1

The pick: Jaguars 35-17.

Why: Lawrence is starting to get hot with five touchdowns as his second season winds down.

Week 18: vs. Tennessee, Sunday, Jan. 8

The pick: Jaguars 24-23.

Why: The Jaguars pull another stunner in the finale, closing with a three-game winning streak and costing the Titans the AFC South crown and a playoff berth.

Final record: 8-9.

Conclusion: Any schedule with just seven games in your home city is going to look daunting. The Jaguars open with four of six on the road and close with four of six on the road. The Week 11 bye is really late and having to play two games immediately after the London game is brutal.

The opening five games should allow the Jaguars to find some confidence. I also think they will play winning football late in the season as Pederson and Lawrence find their groove.

Overall, it’s another losing season but one in which significant progress will be made creating huge excitement for the 2023 season.

Written by: Taylor Doll


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todayMay 12, 2022