The respect is finally coming.
After taking care of business in Week 4, the Jacksonville Jaguars now sit at 3-1. They have a convincing first-place lead in the division — and their chances to earn the top seed in the conference continue to rise.
“I don’t think we really care about the credit,” safety Antonio Johnson said Monday. “We’re going to go into each week, and if you don’t look at us as an imposing defense, then we’re going to impose our will on you. If you don’t respect us, then we’re going to make
you respect us. I know personally, in the rooms that I’ve talked to the players, we don’t care about the respect. You don’t respect us, cool. We’re going to make you respect us, so we’re not even tripping about that.”
As Week 5 approaches, we rounded up the latest NFL power rankings to get a sense of how the Jaguars are viewed nationally.
Sports Illustrated: 2 (last week: 5)
From Conor Orr:
I had a good time at the expense of the Jaguars in the immediate aftermath of the Travis Hunter trade-up. I have since retained a crisis management firm to help aid the fallout when all of my old posts get sent to Old Takes Exposed. Just look at this dude.
Pro Football Talk: 3 (5)
From Mike Florio:
The Jaguars have the best shot at winning the No. 1 seed in the AFC.
Yahoo Sports: 4 (7)
From Frank Schwab:
Jacksonville is second to San Francisco in DVOA, and that seems like the right spot. The Jags have blown out the Browns and Patriots, who are 5-1 against everyone else. They won at the Bengals, who had started the season 2-0 and are considered dangerous. The loss to the Broncos was unfortunate, but Jacksonville led 10-3 at halftime and it’s not the first team to fade in the second half at altitude early in the season. Had it not been for that second half at Denver, Jacksonville would have a case to be the No. 1 team in these rankings. The Jaguars are very good.
NFL.com: 5 (7)
From Nick Shook:
The Jaguars have established a clear identity through four weeks: The offense seeks to establish a credible running threat and then works off the efforts of Trevor Lawrence, allowing the defense — a unit that is better than its reputation suggests — to do its job by earning an extra possession or two for Lawrence and Co. In Week 4, that strategy saw Jacksonville build a 10-point lead by halftime and secure a big road win over a talented Bengals team. The Jags’ 13 penalties prevented them from enjoying an easier second half, though. That’s something they’ll need to clean up.
CBS Sports: 5 (7)
From Pete Prisco:
They are a complete team on both sides of the ball. They can win with offense, but the defense is sneaky good and is second in scoring.
Bleacher Report: 5 (8)
From Brent Sobleski:
Jacksonville has allowed the NFL’s second-fewest points (53) through four games. The effort is also the franchise’s best since the start of the 2007 campaign. The Jaguars are particularly good at the point of attack. They’re ranked second in rushing defense after the Cincinnati Bengals managed a measly 23 yards during Sunday’s action.
ESPN: 5 (10)
From Michael DiRocco:
Four words to describe the first four weeks: Defense is getting overlooked. Heading into this season, there was plenty of hype around Year 2 of the Liam Coen offense. But defensive coordinator Anthony Campanile has made a name for himself early in the season, which could lead to attention in next year’s head-coaching cycle. The Jaguars rank among the top eight in the NFL in sacks, run defense, turnovers, red zone efficiency and third-down defense. With a run defense ranked second in the NFL (74.3 yards per game), Jacksonville has given up just nine first-half points.
USA Today: 6 (8)
From Nate Davis:
Bend but don’t break? They rank 26th overall in total defense, yet the Jags haven’t allowed more than 20 points in their past 10 regular-season games.
Fox Sports: 6 (10)
From Ralph Vacchiano:
With their win over the Bengals, the Jaguars are now 11-1 over their last 12 regular season games, the best record in the NFL in that span.
The Athletic: 6 (10)
From Josh Kendall and Chad Graff:
There’s little shame in allowing a lot of yards through the air to the Bengals. But it’s not ideal that the Jaguars allowed Joe Burrow to throw for 428 yards while Ja’Marr Chase left early due to injury. That said, Travis Hunter played only as a defensive back and looks really good there. Jacksonville appears to be trending in the right direction.
Where would you rank the team, Jaguars fans? Let us know in the comments!
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