Jacksonville Jaguars schedule 2020: Picks, predictions for every game
Week 5: at Houston Texans
Even with DeAndre Hopkins no longer in Houston, the Texans receiving corps remains solid. They acquired Brandin Cooks from the Rams and signed Randall Cobb to try and compensate for the loss of Hopkins. Deshaun Watson is one of the most unique talents in the NFL and he also has his blindside protection locked up for the foreseeable future with Laremy Tunsil getting a long term deal.
The Texans pass rush is also more experienced than the Jaguars. I think the pass rush of Houston will be a large difference in this game and give the Texans a home win in the first of the two matchups between these AFC South rivals.
Prediction: Loss
Week 6: vs. Detroit Lions
The Lions were bad in 2019 but most of that season was played without Matthew Stafford, who was having an MVP-like season before going down with an injury. Stafford is now back and the Lions offensive weapons are superior to the Jaguars. Their secondary is better than Jacksonville’s after adding Desmond Trufant via free agency and drafting Jeff Okudah out of Ohio State. Detroit just has the better roster and drops the Jaguars to 2-4 heading into a Week 7 bye.
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Prediction: Loss
Week 8: at Los Angeles Chargers
The Chargers were one of the most active teams in free agency, adding Linval Joseph and Chris Harris Jr. to an already loaded defense. They also cleaned up their offensive line by trading for Trai Turner and signing Biran Bulaga.
On both sides of the ball, the Chargers are superior to the Jaguars, except at quarterback. But even then, you could probably convince me that Tyrod Taylor is better than Gardner Minshew. Going cross country to play what should be one of the best defensive teams in football is not a recipe for success. The Jags lose their third straight and drop to 2-5.
Prediction: Loss
Week 9: vs. Houston Texans
The Jaguars will be on a slippery slope at this point, losing three straight games. While the Texans are far superior at quarterback, the rosters are just about even elsewhere. The Jaguars won’t have a lot of games in which their talent is comparable to their opponent but this is one of those weeks. I expect the run game to be a focal point with Leonard Fournette having a big day, and the Jaguars get the home win and split the series with Houston and improve to 3-5.
Prediction: Win