JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The start of the season has a homey feel for the Jacksonville Jaguars even though they'll end it on the road.
In between, the Jaguars' 2015 regular-season schedule features a three-game road trip and what could be a season-defining November and December around EverBank Field.
And, oh yes…
The Jaguars also will play back-to-back road games against two of the NFL's best teams – and two of the best quarterbacks – in late September and early October.
Those are a few of the highlights of the Jaguars' 2015 schedule, announced along with the rest of the NFL schedule Tuesday at 8 p.m.
The schedule features consecutive home games at EverBank Field to start the season – September 13 against Carolina (7-8-1 in 2014) and September 20 against Miami (8-8) – with three consecutive road games immediately after that: at New England (12-4) September 27, at Indianapolis (11-5) October 4 and at Tampa Bay (2-14) October 11.
The Patriots and Colts played for the AFC Championship last season, with New England winning the Super Bowl. Patriots quarterback Tom Brady and Colts quarterback Andrew Luck are considered two of the league's best at the position.
The Jaguars have faced a defending Super Bowl champion nine times, with the last two times coming in 2007 when they played Indianapolis.
The Jaguars then will play Houston (9-7) at EverBank Field October 18 before a home game against Buffalo (9-7) at Wembley Stadium in London October 25. As has been the case each of the past two seasons, the Jaguars' bye week is the week after the London game.
The Buffalo game will be the first in NFL history to be distributed over a digital platform that will be available worldwide. The game also will be broadcast locally in Jacksonville and Buffalo on CBS television.
This year that puts the bye on November 1.
The first seven weeks include five games against teams with .500 records or better last season, and three games against teams that won their divisions last season. Carolina, Indianapolis and New England all won divisions.
The Jaguars play back-to-back road games coming out of the bye, visiting the New York Jets (4-12) November 8 and the Baltimore Ravens (10-6) November 15, before playing host to the Tennessee Titans (2-14) on November 19 on Thursday Night Football, the team's lone 2015 prime-time game.
That game will be televised nationally on the NFL Network and is the start of a stretch during which the Jaguars will play four of five games at home. They play San Diego (9-7) at home November 29, and after playing the Titans in Nashville December 6, they play host to Indianapolis December 13 and Atlanta (6-10) December 20.
The Jaguars then close the regular season with back-to-back road games at New Orleans (7-9) December 27 and at Houston January 3.
The complete schedule:
| September 13 | Carolina Panthers | 1 p.m. (FOX) |
|---|---|---|
| September 20: | Miami Dolphins | 4:05 p.m. (CBS) |
| September 27 | at New England | 1 p.m. (CBS) |
| October 4 | at Indianapolis | 1 p.m. (CBS) |
| October 11 | at Tampa Bay | 1 p.m. (CBS) |
| October 18 | Houston | 1 p.m. (CBS) |
| October 25 | Buffalo (in London) | 9:30 a.m. (TBA) |
| November 1 | Bye | |
| November 8 | at New York Jets | 1 p.m. (CBS) |
| November 15 | at Baltimore | 1 p.m. (CBS) |
| November 19 | Tennessee | 8:25 p.m. (NFL Network) |
| November 29 | San Diego | 1 p.m. (CBS) |
| December 6 | at Tennessee | 1 p.m. (CBS) |
| December 13 | Indianapolis | 1 p.m. (CBS) |
| December 20 | Atlanta | 1 p.m. (FOX) |
| December 27 | at New Orleans | 1 p.m. (CBS) |
| January 3 | at Houston | 1 p.m. (CBS) |
Schedule notes:
- This marks the fifth time the Jaguars have opened the season with back-to-back home games. They also did it in 1996, 2001, 2006 and 2007.
- Three of the club's first four games are against 2014 playoff teams and five of the first six games are against teams that finished .500 or above in 2014.
- The schedule features four 2014 postseason teams: Carolina, Indianapolis, New England and Baltimore.
- The NFL Network game against the Titans will be the seventh time in eight seasons they have played on the Network. They also have played in 34 nationally-televised prime-time games in 20 seasons, including eight on Thursday night.
- It's the 12th time in 21 seasons the Jaguars will have opened the season at home.