Week 1: Sunday, September 7 at Baltimore
A season opener on the road might not sound ideal, but for a team like the Ravens, it might. In Week 1 of last season, Joe Flacco struggled to connect with receivers against a Broncos secondary that was one of the worst in football last season. With Ray Rice's future in football up in the air and Bernard Pierce's lackluster performance last season, this could be a good chance to sneak in a victory before Flacco and his receivers develop better timing and rhythms in the passing game.
Week 2: Sunday, September 14 vs Tennessee
Boom. Home opener against the Titans. With the Texans most likely drafting a franchise quarterback or Jadeveon Clowney and the Colts being the favorite to win the AFC South, the Titans are the weakest divisional opponent the Jaguars could be facing this year. If the Jaguars could stay motivated through eight winless weeks last year, what would a win (or two) before Week 3 do this year?
Week 3: Sunday, September 21 vs Pittsburgh
Ben Roethlisberger was bad through the first three games of the 2013 season. In fact, since 2009, Big Ben has had at least one (sometimes two) atrocious games in the first three weeks of the season. It'd be great to catch Roethlisberger before he hits his mid-season stride.
Week 4: Sunday, September 28 at Cincinnati
I want to try and catch Andy Dalton in the first few weeks of the season. That’s when he’s at his most inconsistent. Last year, in the first six weeks of the season, he was hot one week (71.4% accuracy against the Packers in Week 3) and cold the next (six points against the Browns in Week 4?). It was like flipping a coin. I’ll take my heads up chances with an early-season match up at Cincinnati.
Week 5: Sunday, October 5 at Philadelphia
This is an ideal schedule, not a perfect one. For some opponents, there’s really no good time to go on the road and Philadelphia is one of them. I don’t see Jacksonville winning this one, but it’ll be nice to know a home game is coming up.
Week 6: Sunday, October 12 vs Houston
Here’s where the fun begins. The middle of October is perfect tailgating weather and after a two-week hiatus, Jacksonville gets to celebrate at Everbank. Florida autumn > your autumn.
Week 7: Sunday, October 19 at Indianapolis
I’d much rather visit Indianapolis earlier in the season, when we’re at our most competitive, then do what we did last year and close out in embarrassing fashion. I’m pegging the Jaguars for 3-3 at this point and having a lot more to play for against the Colts then when they visited them last December.
Week 8: Sunday, October 26 vs New York
It’s ideal because we get to clap for Tom Coughlin at halftime or something.
Week 9: Sunday, November 2 at Houston
Let’s get this sweep against the Texans out of the way before going to London.
Week 10: Sunday, November 9 vs Dallas
On December 4, 2013, the NFL announced that the Jaguars would play host to the Dallas Cowboys.
Week 11: BYE WEEK
The league already mandated that teams will have their bye the week after traveling to London.
Week 12: Sunday, November 23 at San Diego
A West Coast trip after a bye week? Yes, please. The amount of travel the Jaguars had to do last year was horrible. Giving us our only West Coast game the week after our bye would be a nice way to say "We're sorry."
Week 13: Sunday, November 30 vs Miami
We can has a not-so-difficult opponent at home after a trip to the West Coast?
Week 14: Thursday, December 4 vs Indianapolis
PRIME TIME, Y'ALL! I'm thinking the NFL scheduling gods smile upon us and give us a prime time home game for the second year in a row. Besides, it's in the best interest of the NFL to put those scoreboards on national television.
Week 15: Sunday, December 14 at Washington
I want a trip to Washington late in the season. In the past five years, Washington has only won six games at home in the months of November and December. Plus, a road game after a Thursday night game would be great.
Week 16: Sunday, December 21 vs Cleveland
The Browns always close the season against Pittsburgh, so having them as the last game on the schedule isn’t going to work. But Cleveland is historically bad in the final weeks of the season, having not won a game in the final three weeks of the season since 2009. I want a late-season match up against the Browns.
Week 17: Sunday, December 28 at Tennessee
I have no delusions of grandeur on this season. I don’t think we’re making the playoffs and I definitely think we lose more games than we win. But I do believe we’ll finish higher than last place in the AFC South, and I think this will be the game that decides it. Doing it in Nashville is what caps off this ideal schedule.
Did I get something wrong? Are you violently opposed to one or all of my selections. Make sure to let me know by commenting below!