Jacksonville Jaguars (6-4) at Arizona Cardinals (3-7)

Time/site: 2:05 p.m., State Farm Stadium, Glendale

Last time they played: These teams haven’t faced off since 2021, when the Cardinals moved to 3-0 with a win in Jacksonville. They scored three straight late touchdowns to pull off a comeback 31-19 win as part of their 7-0 start.

Series history: They dropped the first two matchups, in 2000 and 2005, but have won four straight since then, with inter-conference matchups now occurring every four years.

Arizona Cardinals wide receiver Michael Wilson, middle, catches a pass against San Francisco 49ers linebacker Curtis Robinson (59) and cornerback Deommodore Lenoir (2) during the first half, Nov. 16, 2025. 

Rick Scuteri, Associated Press

Coaching matchup

Remarkably, Cardinals coach Jonathan Gannon and Jaguars coach Liam Coen have never been on opposing sidelines, even as low-level assistants. Coen got his introduction to the NFL as an assistant under Sean McVay, rising to become the Rams’ offensive coordinator for one year in 2022. He then spent a year at Kentucky before returning to the NFL as the Buccaneers’ offensive coordinator last year and then taking the Jaguars’ job.

People are also reading…

Storyline

The Cardinals feel as if they’re in free fall right now, on the back of consecutive three-possession losses against divisional opponents. This week is all about getting back on track and playing cohesive, complementary football — ideally with their first win over an opponent with a winning record since last October.

Arizona will win if …

It protects the football: Each of the Cardinals’ past two games has been undone by turnovers. Against Seattle, it was a pair of strip sacks returned for touchdowns. Against San Francisco, it was two interceptions and a goal-line fumble. Now, they face a Jaguars defense that ranks third with 18 takeaways.It plays with more discipline: Gannon doesn’t consider penalties to be a “winning stat,” but he made an exception last week, when they were called for a franchise-record 17 flags. It goes without saying, but that can’t happen again.Its special teams unit is more competent: This week, special teams coordinator Jeff Rodgers acknowledged that his group has not been consistent enough this season, a reality that was made painfully clear against the 49ers. The Cardinals allowed two long kickoff returns, missed a field goal and committed a personal foul on a blocked field goal of their own.

Jacksonville will win if …

Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence (16) looks to throw the ball against the Los Angeles Chargers, Nov. 16, 2025, in Jacksonville, Fla. 

Doug Murray, Associated Press

It protects Trevor Lawrence: When kept clean this season, Lawrence has 10 touchdowns and four interceptions. When pressured, he has one touchdown and four interceptions on half as many pass attempts. Fortunately, the Jaguars’ offensive line has allowed the ninth-lowest pressure rate in the league, posing a challenge to Josh Sweat, Walter Nolen and the rest of the Cardinals’ pass rush.It slows down Michael Wilson: Wilson went nuclear in his first chance at the No. 1 wide receiver job, catching 15 balls for 185 yards. That hid a smaller concern for the Cardinals: None of their depth receivers stepped up, putting the onus on Wilson and Trey McBride to carry the offense.Travis Etienne gets going again: Early in the season, Etienne was on a roll, averaging 6.1 yards per carry. But since Week 5, he’s averaging just 3.8.

They said it

Cardinals offensive coordinator Drew Petzing on the Jaguars’ ability to create turnovers: “They’ve got a great front that can affect the quarterback. They’ve got some good players in the back end, so you’ve seen some tipped balls, some overthrows, some balls that go up in the air and don’t quite get where they need to. So that’s something we’re gonna have to be on top of.”

By the numbers

2-17: The Cardinals’ record without Kyler Murray since he tore his ACL in 2022. They will once again start Jacoby Brissett this week with Murray on injured reserve.

3: The Vegas line, in favor of the Jaguars. The Cardinals have not been favored in a game since Week 5 against the Titans, which they lost.

7: Consecutive games in which the Cardinals have scored between 20 and 27 points. It’s the longest such streak in the NFL since 1992. At least they’re consistent.

51: Trey Benson’s rush yards over expectation this season, per Next Gen Stats. Benson could return from injured reserve this week, which would be a major boost to the run game. The Cardinals’ two other active running backs, Bam Knight and Michael Carter, both have negative rush yards over expectation this season.

185: Michael Wilson’s receiving yardage last week, the most by a Cardinals player since 2015 and the most by any NFL player in a game this season.

Who will win and why

Cardinals 24, Jaguars 21: On a down-to-down basis, the Cardinals have been better than the final scores would suggest in recent weeks. The problem has been game-swinging plays, like turnovers and special teams miscues. If they can avoid those types of issues, they have the pieces in place to pull off a home upset.

Get in the game with our Prep Sports Newsletter