The 2026-27 AFC Championship Game could be played in a stadium with less than 50,000 seats.
The Jacksonville Jaguars look like one of the best teams in the league right now. The Jaguars improved to 3-1 on the season on Sunday. Jacksonville has taken down the Browns, Patriots and Bengals so far this season. The Jaguars lost a close game to the Broncos earlier in the year.
But NBC Sports insider Mike Florio believes that the road to the Super Bowl could go through Jacksonville, Florida this year.
“At 3-1 through four games and with wins over the otherwise 3-0 Browns, the 2-1 Patriots, and 2-1 Bengals, the Jaguars are in position to eventually secure the No. 1 seed in the AFC. They still have six games in the division, where the Colts, Texans, and Titans are a combined 2-10,” he wrote.
“The Jaguars play the next two in London, against the injury-riddled Eagles and the disappointing Texans. Some stiff tests remain (at Baltimore, at Chicago, at Dallas), but most of the remaining games are winnable, especially given the current quality of the team.”
Of course, the Chiefs are 4-0, but Kansas City plays in a pretty difficult division in the AFC West.
Interestingly, the Jaguars stadium is currently going through renovations. The Jaguars are still playing in the stadium, just at a lesser capacity than normal.
That could mean that come late January, the AFC Championship Game could be played in a stadium with less than 50,000 seats – a rarity for a big NFL game.
“If they do, there could be a pair of postseason games with only 42,000 fans in attendance. Which won’t be conducive to maximizing ticket revenues (or crowd noise) for the games, but that’s one of the realities of actively renovating a stadium while the team is still playing there,” Florio added.
“And it’s still far better for the Jaguars than playing in Buffalo or Kansas City or Baltimore or Cleveland or wherever.”
Perhaps the Jaguars would figure out a way to get more available seats if it comes to it in January.
