After much anticipation, the NFL released the schedule for the 2025 season. While teams already knew their opponents, they didn't know the order in which they would face them. The Jacksonville Jaguars got the short end of the stick. Not only do they have a tough slate of opponents early in the year, but they'll also need to travel a lot in the second half. If the Jags want to survive that challenging stretch, they'll need Trevor Lawrence to show out.
Early in the season, the Jags will deal with a gauntlet early in the season that includes the Cincinnati Bengals, the Houston Texans, the San Francisco 49ers, and the Kansas City Chiefs on Monday Night Football. They'll face the Seattle Seahawks before they travel to London to play the Los Angeles Rams. However you look at it, that's a tough stretch. The issue is that things don't get any easier after their BYE in Week 8.
But once the Jaguars get their week off, they'll have to play four of their next five games as visitors. In that stretch, they'll play against the Las Vegas Raiders, the Houston Texans, the Arizona Cardinals, and the Tennessee Titans. Their only bout at home will be against the Los Angeles Chargers in Week 11, and it won't be a walk in the park with Jim Harbaugh now as the head coach.
The good news is that the Jaguars should have hit their stride by that point of the season, and if they want to survive that gauntlet of away games, they'll need Lawrence to step up.
This will be a pivotal year for Trevor Lawrence
Throughout his NFL career, Trevor Lawrence has been under scrutiny because he's failed to live up to the generational talent moniker. In his defense, the Jacksonville Jaguars have done a poor job of putting him in a position to succeed in previous years. But there's a new regime in place, one that's given him everything he needs, from a beefed-up offensive line to an arsenal of weapons that includes Dyami Brown and Travis Hunter.
On top of that, Brian Thomas Jr. caught the league by storm as a rookie and should be much better in Year 2. Add the fact that the Jaguars' coaching staff will put an emphasis on establishing the run, and Lawrence won't have to win games alone. That leaves him with no choice but to put it all together, and he'll have a chance to show his worth in the second half of the season.
The Titans will be starting a rookie Cam Ward behind center, but the rest of the teams the Jaguars will face during that second-half season stretch have proven quarterbacks. On top of that, they all have decent or better defenses, so this could turn out to be close contests. This, in turn, means that Lawrence will need to come up clutch.
The good news is that Lawrence previously proven he can do it but will need to do it on a consistent basis if the Jaguars want to end the 2025 season strong and have a realistic shot at making the playoffs.
Here are other Jaguars stories you may also like: