Who Would the Jaguars Play Next in the Divisional Round? Breaking Down Jacksonville’s Opponent If They Advance

An aggressive offseason in Duval County has paid off in earnest. First-year GM James Gladstone and first-year head coach Liam Coen moved with urgency, not patience, and the early returns have been impossible to ignore. Their vision for the Jacksonville Jaguars has come together far quicker than most around the league anticipated.

A 13-4 regular-season record, an AFC South title, and the No. 3 seed now put Jacksonville in position to host a playoff game in Year 1 of this new regime. The Jaguars welcome the No. 6 seed Buffalo Bills on Sunday for Wild Card Weekend. Should Jacksonville move on, the path only gets more interesting — and potentially far more challenging — as postseason matchups begin to take shape.

What Are the Jacksonville Jaguars’ Playoff Scenarios?

The most likely Divisional Round scenario for Jacksonville is obvious.

If the #2 seed New England Patriots defeat the #7 seed Los Angeles Chargers on Sunday night, Jacksonville would travel to Foxborough to play the Patriots. Denver, the conference’s top seed, would play the winner of Monday’s Texans-Steelers clash.

The 14-3 Patriots are 60.2% likely to advance past the Chargers at PFSN’s Playoff Predictor. Most sportsbooks have New England instilled as a 3.5-point favorite in the game.

However, if New England loses, Jacksonville would receive another home game in the Divisional Round against the winner of the Texans-Steelers game. In that event, the Chargers would be headed to Denver.

Should Jacksonville turn away their Divisional Round foe in either event, they will either travel to Denver for the AFC Championship or host it themselves against the Chargers.

Will the Jaguars Host the AFC Championship Game?

There is only one opponent against which Jacksonville could host the AFC Championship. It would be the #7 seed Los Angeles Chargers, who would have vanquished both of the conference’s top seeds to reach the game.

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PFSN’s Playoff Predictor does give a somewhat substantial chance (14.3%) of that happening.

Of course, this would be a rematch of a 2023 Wild Card Round battle in which the Jaguars erased a 27-0 deficit to win 31-30 over quarterback Justin Herbert and the Bolts.

Jacksonville has reached the AFC Championship Game three times in franchise history, but has hosted it only once, back in 2000. That context underscores just how rare this opportunity could be.

With the bracket opening up and momentum firmly on their side, they’re chasing a first-ever AFC title and an elusive Super Bowl appearance that has long remained just out of reach.