Jaguars Hunting Season 2026: How 'Bout Them Cowboys?
· Yahoo Sports
The Jacksonville Jaguars aren’t rivals with the Dallas Cowboys, but the Cowboys are one of the rare teams in football (and sports, for that matter) that generate strong opinions in everybody.
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The Cowboys have a lot of fans across the country, as can happen when you’re deemed “America’s Team.”
The Cowboys also have a lot of haters, and it’s probably a safe bet that Jacksonville, Florida, isn’t void of them.
So even though these teams haven’t played since 2022 and have only played eight times overall, Jaguars-Cowboys will feel like a bigger deal than the average game because that’s the effect the Cowboys have. As a bonus, the Jags will be playing Dallas in “Jerry World” (AT&T Stadium) for the first time since 2018. This matchup is scheduled for two days after Christmas, so we’ll know a lot about how this season plays out by then. If it goes the way the Jags want it to, Jacksonville will be in the process of wrapping up a second straight division championship, which it hasn’t done since before the millennium. If it goes poorly, the Jags will be picking up the pieces and looking to salvage a lost season.
If it goes somewhere in between— and the way many expect it to— Jacksonville will be in a fierce division battle with the Houston Texans, who are the favorites to win the AFC South.
As for the Cowboys, well, they’re just looking to get back to winning.
Dallas won a lot in the Mike McCarthy era, going exactly 12-5 every year from 2021-2023.
But the Cowboys never won a playoff game, and this, plus a 7-10 finish in 2024, led to the Cowboys firing McCarthy and starting the Brian Schottenheimer era. Year 1 under Schottenheimer went the same as Year 5 under McCarthy, only with a tie. The Cowboys finished 7-9-1 and missed the playoffs for the second straight year. If the Cowboys can get back to the playoffs, this will be a successful season. But it would be even better if they could win the NFC East, which some feel is a possibility.
Like Jacksonville, the Cowboys will have to fend off a formidable foe to win their division, with the Philadelphia Eagles being the favorites to win the East. If both teams end up in fierce divisional battles, Dec. 27 in “Jerry World” will be interesting for reasons beyond Dallas simply being involved.
Kickoff is scheduled for 8:20 p.m. Sunday Night Football.