The Jacksonville Jaguars begin their 26th season in franchise history when they take on the Indianapolis Colts in the 2020 regular season opener on Sunday, Sept. 13. The division matchup kicks off at 1 p.m. and will be broadcast locally by CBS on WJAX and on radio on WJXL (1010AM, 92.5 FM) and 99.9 FM Gator Country.
TIAA Bank Field will be open for a limited capacity crowd on Sunday and tickets are still available at www.jaguars.com/tickets. Fans watching from home can also tune in to Jags@Home, a second screen viewing experience which gives fans an all-new way to connect with the team on game day. Sunday's game is presented by TIAA Bank and every fan in attendance will receive a Jaguars face covering.
A CELEBRATION OF UNITY
This season, the Jaguars are using the rally cry "DuvALL TOGETHER," to unite and inspire the community. Beginning Week 1, the Jaguars are joining the NFL in an ongoing stand against social injustice and will carry a message of unity throughout game presentation elements on Sunday. This season, NFL players, coaches and officials have the opportunity to honor victims of systemic racism and police brutality and social justice heroes with helmet decals and hat patches. More than 50 Jaguars players and 22 coaches have selected names or phrases, which include "Stop Hate" and "Black Lives Matter." For Week 1, all NFL fields will feature end zone stencils with the words "It Takes All of Us" and "End Racism."
A special rendition of "Lift Every Voice and Sing" will be played at every NFL stadium on Kickoff Weekend. A song of inspiration and unity, it was first written as a poem by James Weldon Johnson in 1900 and performed in Jacksonville. The poem was set to music by Johnson's brother, John Rosamond Johnson, and soon adopted by the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) as its official song and a celebration of faith and hope to become known as the Black National Anthem.
The Jaguars' traditional First DUUUVAL will be delivered from atop the southeast flag pole tower by a member of the Jacksonville-based EVAC Movement, a local group of "at-hope" Black students focused on turning personal tragedies into positive change in the area of juvenile justice. The First DUUUVAL is presented by Duval Motor Company.
The message of unity will continue through halftime with pre-recorded performances by young Jacksonville artists, including Keedron Bryant, a young R&B and gospel singer from Jacksonville who captured the world's attention in May when he posted a powerful a cappella video of himself singing "I Just Want to Live," a song written by his mother in protest of the killing of George Floyd. Since then, Bryant has signed with Warner Records and will be performing his new single "U Got This" from his debut EP being released on Sept. 11.
The other performance will come from Don't Miss A Beat, Inc., an organization in Jacksonville founded on the belief that the arts can be a bridge to a better life for underserved children. The DMAB All-Stars is an elite group of talented students that perform locally, nationally and internationally and on Sunday will perform a song called "Royalty."
GAME DAY ENTERTAINMENT
Following team introductions, this week's pre-recorded national anthem will be performed by The Ritz Voices under the direction of Artistic Director Deborah McDuffie. Kinsey Radloff, a member of THE ROAR,will interpret for the hearing impaired. This Sunday's flyover will be performed by F-15s of the 125th Fighter Wing, a unit of the Florida Air National Guard, stationed in Jacksonville.
JAGS@HOME
For fans that can't be in the stadium this year due to COVID-19, the Jaguars have introduced Jags@Home, a second screen viewing platform designed to complement the game watching experience and give fans watching from home an all new way to connect with the team. On game day, fans can visit www.jagsathome.com on their laptop, tablet or mobile device and get bonus analysis, statistics and traditional game day content. Once the game is underway, fans can participate in live trivia and predictive gaming for the chance to win cash prizes valued at $2,500 each quarter and additional prizes from Jaguars partners. Hosted by Jaguars sideline reporter Ashlyn Sullivan and social media influencer Eric V. Dunn, the trivia sessions will test fans' current and historical Jaguars knowledge, while the predictive gaming contest will give participants an opportunity to correctly forecast what will happen on upcoming plays and drives during the game.
A COMMITMENT TO FAN HEALTH AND SAFETY
The Jaguars and all stadium partners have created a contactless experience for the limited capacity crowd attending games at TIAA Bank Field this season. Accommodations include physically-distanced parking, new security screening and ticket-scanning procedures, cashless concessions, mobile ordering and pod seating. In addition, the Jaguars have added more than 750 hand-sanitizing stations throughout the venue and certified disinfection specialists will be at the stadium on game day cleaning all high touchpoint areas with hospital grade disinfectant. - TIAA Bank Field will also transition to a smoke-free facility beginning with the 2020 season. For complete details on stadium preparations, please visit www.jaguars.com/stadium.
COMMUNITY AND MILITARY HONOREES
During Sunday's game, the Jaguars will honor former U.S. Navy Captain Gary Martin as the Veteran of the Game presented by Dr. Patrick Basile. Martin served 39 years in the U.S. Navy, including Operation Desert Storm and Operation Enduring Freedom. He recently celebrated his retirement from the Navy in August.
As the game enters the fourth quarter, the Navy Mutual Bell Ringer will be Senior Chief Kendric Bryant, father of halftime performer Keedron Bryant. Currently stationed at Naval Station Mayport, Bryant has served in the military for 23 years including seven deployments.
The TIAA Bank Community Champions of the Game for Week 1 are brothers Jerry and Jason Rodriguez. The owners of Strata Clothing modified their Jacksonville-based clothing manufacturing operation to begin making masks during the COVID-19 pandemic. To date they have also donated more than 100,000 masks locally to charitable organizations and social justice protestors in downtown Jacksonville.
In 2020, the Jaguars will begin recognizing an Essential Worker during each game as a salute to the healthcare workers and first responders who have supported the community's health and wellbeing during the COVID-19 crisis. The first honoree is Joe Griffin, a lifelong Jaguars fans and an emergency room nurse at Baptist Hospital South.
KEY FAN REMINDERS:
Here are some key reminders for fans during the 2020 season:
- Fans should not come to the stadium if they have COVID-19, are experiencing symptoms of COVID-19 such as fever, cough or shortness of breath, or know they've been exposed to COVID-19.
- Face coverings are required at TIAA Bank Field and strongly encouraged in all parking lots. Fans will be required to wear face coverings upon entry and throughout the stadium except when actively eating or drinking.
- Tailgating is strongly discouraged.
- Fans should still use the Official Jacksonville Jaguars app to access their secure digital tickets on game day, which feature a dynamic barcode to prevent screenshots or counterfeit tickets. Fans can still conveniently transfer tickets to friends or family via email or text using their mobile device.
- The NFL's clear bag policy is in effect at TIAA Bank Field. Fans are encouraged to leave all bags at home, but, if necessary, it should be either a clear bag no larger than 12" x 6" x 12", or a non-clear bag no larger than 4.5" x 6.5." Strict size enforcement will be in place for all non-clear bags.
- Thanks to Alert Today Florida, fans riding their bikes to all Jaguars home games can take advantage of free, secure parking beginning this Sunday. Jaguars fans can park their bikes as early as three hours before kickoff by visiting the bicycle check-in tent located between Gates 1 and 2 on the west side of TIAA Bank Field.
GAME DAY TIMELINE
10 a.m.: Game day ticket office opens (north end zone between Gates 2 and 3)
10 a.m.: Stadium parking lots open*
10 a.m.: Media Will Call opens near Gate 1
11 a.m.: TIAA Bank Field seating bowl and all gates open*
11 a.m.: Fan Entertainment Zone presented by PRI Productions opens (south end zone between Gates 1 and 4)
12:30 p.m.: Pregame festivities begin including team introductions
12:34 p.m.: Lift Every Voice and Sing
12:56 p.m.: National anthem
1 p.m.: The First DUUUVAL
1:02 p.m.: Kickoff
* New time for 2020
