Jaguars Leap Up Nfl Power Rankings Entering Week 4

The Jacksonville Jaguars made history more than once in their Week 3 thumping of the New England Patriots.

Via Jaguars PR:

• Liam Coen became the fastest coach in franchise history to reach 15 wins, and the first NFL coach to win 15 of his first 20 games since Matt LeFleur in 2019.
• Jacksonville’s six-game home winning streak is the third-best in franchise history. The team scored 34+ points in each of those games; only the 2012 Broncos and 1960 Chargers have longer streaks of scoring 34+ points at home.
• The Jaguars haven’t allowed an individual rusher to reach 75 yards in 20 straight games, tied for the NFL’s fourth-longest such streak in the last 50 seasons. The defense has also recorded an interception in nine straight games and a takeaway in eight straight.

The Jaguars are good — but how do they stack up with the best teams in the league?

As Week 4 approaches, we rounded up the latest NFL power rankings to get a sense of how the Jaguars are viewed nationally.

Pro Football Talk: 5 (last week: 7)

From Mike Florio:

Get used to the possibility of seeing a lot of teal in L.A. during Super Bowl week.

Sports Illustrated: 5 (11)

From Conor Orr:

Fourth in EPA per play on offense. Fourth in EPA per play allowed on defense. The only negative on the Jaguars’ resume right now is a difficult early-season cross country road trip to Denver. In short, the Jaguars are a legitimate contender that will only look better a month from now.

Yahoo Sports: 7 (8)

From Frank Schwab:

You can’t simply dismiss a bad half, because those count too. But if we take out the second half of Jacksonville’s Week 2 game against the Broncos — many teams wear down in the second half at Denver’s altitude, particularly early in the season — the Jaguars have outscored their three opponents 79-19. Had Jacksonville played a little better against the Broncos in the second half, perhaps their dominant start would be getting more attention. Maybe the Patriots will prove to be a bad team, but they were 14-3 last season and won the AFC, and Jacksonville beat them 35-6 on Sunday. Trevor Lawrence has a 107.8 passer rating this season, and his career high over a full season is 95.2. There are many things to like about the Jaguars’ start. The Jaguars have some tough games coming up (at Bengals, vs. Eagles in London, vs. Texans in London, vs. Colts, at Ravens) but keep your mind open to the Jaguars being one of the NFL’s best teams this season.

NFL.com: 7 (9)

From Nick Shook:

What a nice get-right week for the Jaguars, who handled the Patriots with ease and even tousled their hair for good measure. Congratulations are in order for Travis Hunter, who recorded his first career interception amid a runaway win for Jacksonville.

CBS Sports: 7 (10)

From Pete Prisco:

They bounced back from their first loss with a dominant victory over the Patriots. The defense, which is No. 1 in the league in points allowed, came up big in that one.

Bleacher Report: 8 (10)

From Gary Davenport:

There is zero question that the Jaguars are the best team in the AFC South. With a trip to Cincinnati and a visit from the Eagles next up, the Jaguars have an opportunity to stake their claim as a legit Super Bowl contender as well.

USA Today: 8 (11)

From Nate Davis:

Their two wins at EverBank Stadium have come by an aggregate score of 69-16. Too bad they only have four more games their this season.

Fox Sports: 10 (12)

From Ralph Vacchiano:

It feels like Trevor Lawrence and the Jaguars haven’t come close to their best game yet. Liam Coen’s offense hasn’t been anything special. Lawrence had his second straight game with less than 200 yards passing. RB Bhayshul Tuten still hasn’t topped 75 rushing yards in a game. And yet Jacksonville still won two of its three games by two-plus touchdowns. Go figure. Maybe it’s because those wins were against Cleveland and New England. I want to believe. I really do. But we will probably learn a lot more about this offense in Cincinnati next week.

ESPN: 10 (13)

From Michael DiRocco:

Fantasy surprise: WR Brian Thomas Jr. With Parker Washington’s emergence and the reliability of Jakobi Meyers, the targets were expected to be spread out somewhat evenly among Jacksonville’s receivers. But Thomas had a great offseason and the Jaguars wanted to push the ball downfield more, so expectations were high for the WR40 in our preseason projections. Now, Thomas has just seven catches for 88 yards and no TDs. Rookie Josh Cameron (two TD catches) has earned almost equal playing time, too. At this point, it’s almost impossible to expect consistent fantasy production out of Thomas.

The Athletic: 10 (14)

From Josh Kendall and Chad Graff:

The Jaguars have won 10 of Trevor Lawrence’s last 12 starts, and the No. 1 pick in the 2021 draft is finally playing like a franchise quarterback. Since mid-November, Lawrence has more touchdowns than any quarterback in the league (26) and the second-highest passer rating (106.5). He had three touchdowns and one interception Sunday as the Jaguars manhandled the New England Patriots.

Where would you rank the team, Jaguars fans? Let us know in the comments!