JACKSONVILLE — The Jacksonville Jaguars will open their 2026 NFL season at home against the Cleveland Browns before facing a gauntlet of four games in five weeks against 2025 division champions, the league announced Thursday night.
The defending AFC South champions begin Sept. 13 against Cleveland at EverBank Stadium at 1 p.m. on CBS, then travel to Denver on Sept. 20 to face the Broncos — a rematch of Jacksonville’s 34-20 victory last season in which quarterback Trevor Lawrence threw four touchdown passes to snap an 11-game Denver winning streak. The Broncos finished 14-3 and first in the AFC West in 2025.
Jacksonville hosts the 14-3 New England Patriots on Sept. 27 — New England’s first appearance in Jacksonville since a 31-20 Jaguars victory in 2018. The Patriots, who played in the Super Bowl following last season, lead the all-time regular-season series 8-2 and 12-3 including the postseason.
The schedule features back-to-back London games in October, with the Jaguars facing the Philadelphia Eagles at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Oct. 11 at 9:30 a.m. on NFL Network, followed by a critical AFC South matchup against the 12-5 Houston Texans at Wembley Stadium on Oct. 18 at 9:30 a.m. on NFL Network. The Eagles won Super Bowls following the 2017 and 2024 seasons and beat Jacksonville 28-23 in their last meeting. Houston leads the all-time series 32-16 and won the teams’ lone previous Wembley meeting, 26-3, in 2019.
The Jaguars’ bye falls in Week 7 on Oct. 25, after which they host the Indianapolis Colts on Nov. 1. Jacksonville has won 11 consecutive home games against Indianapolis, a streak that includes a London victory in 2016. The Colts started 8-2 last season before losing their final seven games, with quarterback Daniel Jones missing the last four after sustaining an Achilles injury in a 36-19 Week 14 loss at Jacksonville — a victory that gave the Jaguars a division lead they never relinquished.
Jacksonville’s first scheduled prime-time game comes Nov. 5 at Baltimore on Amazon at 8:15 p.m., the Jaguars’ first visit to M&T Bank Stadium since a 40-14 victory in 2020. The Ravens enter 2026 under new Head Coach Jesse Minter after John Harbaugh’s departure following a tenure that began in 2008. Jacksonville leads the all-time series 13-11.
The Week 1 opener against Cleveland will be the first game under Browns Head Coach Todd Monken, who served as the Jaguars’ wide receivers coach from 2007-2010 and was the Baltimore Ravens’ offensive coordinator the past three seasons. Cleveland finished 5-12 in 2025, with veteran Deshaun Watson expected to compete with second-year quarterback Shedeur Sanders. The Jaguars are 16-15 all-time in regular-season openers, including a 26-10 victory over the Carolina Panthers in Jacksonville in 2025.