The NFL is in the midst of its 106th season, having officially become the National Football League in 1922. To date, over 20,000 games have been played. Looking at that stretch as a whole, it's remarkable that the Seattle Seahawks and Jacksonville Jaguars have played in only nine of those games — nine.
Of course, when you consider that each team is in an opposite conference and that the Jaguars entered the league in 1995, 19 years after the Seahawks, it makes more sense. Still, in 30 years, these teams have only matched up nine times, and it almost seems like a scheduling glitch.
Nevertheless, in Week 6, Sam Darnold leads his Hawks to face Trevor Lawrence's Jags. Each team needs a win for similar reasons. For the Seahawks, it's to keep pace in their division.
For the Jaguars, it's about keeping pace with the Colts in their division and eventually surpassing them. But regardless of who comes out on top, the lopsided wins and losses history shared by the two squads will either grow closer or much further apart.
Seattle Seahawks have a 6-3 record over the Jacksonville Jaguars
Taking the record alone, Seattle clearly has had the upper hand in their matchups with Jacksonville. However, for some of the games, it's the manner in which the Seahawks claimed their victories that speaks further to their domination over the Jaguars.
In their six wins over the Jags, and if you consider a two-touchdown scoring difference as a blowout, the Hawks accomplished this four times. In 1995, the first-ever showdown, Seattle beat Jacksonville by 17 points (47-30).
In 2009, the victory was a 41-point shutout (41-0). In 2013, Seattle won by 28 points (45-17), and in the most recent matchup in 2021, Seattle again won by a double-touchdown-plus score of 24 points (31-7).
While the other wins were closer, the Seahawks have enjoyed routing the Jaguars, which adds an exclamation point on their 6-3 winning record. That being said, this upcoming meeting could be quite different. In fact, it's safe to assume a blowout won't come at the hands of either team.
Seattle's defense has struggled thus far this season, but it's still generally strong. As for Jacksonville, they lead the league in turnovers (14), ten of those being interceptions. That doesn't bode well for Darnold, who is having a solid season so far but has also thrown three picks in five games.
Still, he is putting up solid passing years and touchdowns, which means he might be able to tread water against the Jaguars' defense as long as his touchdowns outnumber any interceptions he might throw.
In Jacksonville, they're playing their best football in years, despite Lawrence's otherwise pedestrian numbers (excluding last weekend's Chiefs win). If Jacksonville were to gain ground in their tepid matchup history with Seattle, this upcoming Sunday afternoon game is their best chance.
Both teams have solid chances of winning their divisions this year, and likely don't care about the past, if they even know about it. They're out there to bag a W. Still, for the fans, and especially the Seahawks fans, tacking on another win over a team they have dominated since their inception only adds more fun and bragging rights to the story.