The NFL season is getting closer by the day. The Jacksonville Jaguars announced the team’s preseason schedule earlier this week. Per Jaguars.com, Jacksonville will play the New Orleans Saints at home the week of August 9-13, at the Minnesota Vikings the week of August 16-20 and at home against the Atlanta Falcons the Atlanta Falcons August 23-26.
All four of these opponents have a chance to be playoff contenders. Three of these four games could be possible Super Bowl matchups.
They will close the preseason at Tampa Bay on Thursday, August 30.
The schedule is interesting in that the Jacksonville Jaguars face four teams from the NFC, three of which could be Super Bowl contenders.
The first game against New Orleans should be nothing more than a warm-up, where starters from both teams may see a series or two and nothing else. That means Jacksonville Jaguars fans won’t have an opportunity to see quarterback Drew Brees for more than a few snaps.
The Minnesota Vikings, the team that lost to the Philadelphia Eagles in the NFC Title Game, have a new quarterback in Kirk Cousins after releasing all three of the quarterbacks on their roster from last season. Cousins was reportedly a possibility here before the Jacksonville Jaguars signed Blake Bortles to a contract extension.
The third game of the preseason is the one where starters play most of the game. The Atlanta Falcons present a nice challenge for the Jaguars. The Falcons have a potent offense with quarterback Matt Ryan and wide receiver Julio Jones. Atlanta’s running game feature Devonta Freeman and the defense has gotten better the previous two seasons.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers practiced for two days with the Jacksonville Jaguars last season at the Florida Blue Practice Fields here at EverBank Field. The two teams played in last year’s preseason with the Buccaneers winning 12-8.