With a 7-4 record — and just one game behind the Colts in division standings — the Jacksonville Jaguars have over a 70% chance to make the playoffs, according to projection models by ESPN and The Athletic.
But how good are they really?
As Week 13 approaches, we rounded up the latest NFL power rankings to get a sense of how the Jaguars are viewed nationally.
Pro Football Talk: 11 (last week: 11)
:Trevor Lawrence keeps making mistakes, but the Jaguars keep winning.
The Ringer: 12 (13)
As we approach the winter holidays, I want to speak directly to the Jaguars fans out there: choose happiness, not this. Since Jacksonville upset the Chiefs in early October (in what might be the most consequential game of the year), we’ve been waiting for quarterback Trevor Lawrence to turn the corner. Even in wins, the results of the passing game are inconclusive at best and disappointing at worst.
Winning was supposed to improve my optimism about this team, but instead it’s done absolutely nothing for me.
CBS Sports: 13 (13)
Somehow this team is 7-4 with a soft schedule down the stretch. They will likely be a playoff team, but Trevor Lawrence has to be better.
USA Today: 13 (14)
Just a game out of first place in the AFC South, the Jags have four of their final six games against the Colts and Titans.
Fox Sports: 13 (14)
An ugly, three-interception performance by QB Trevor Lawrence made the Jags’ overtime win over the Cardinals much tougher than it ever should have been.
The Athletic: 14 (14)
From Josh Kendall and Chad Graff:
One big question: Is Trevor Lawrence still the guy?
The Jags look a lot better in a lot of areas with Liam Coen — just not at quarterback. Lawrence ranks 30th in the league in completion percentage, 25th in yards per attempt and 29th in EPA per dropback.
Bleacher Report: 14 (15)
The Jaguars have won three of their last four contests, and they’re now nipping at the Indianapolis Colts’ AFC South-leading heels. It’s how Jacksonville won those contests that’s so fascinating.
At the start of this stretch, the Jaguars needed a tipped two-point conversion pass attempt to defeat the Las Vegas Raiders. Jacksonville then experienced a fourth-quarter meltdown against the Houston Texans for its last loss. The Jags responded by blowing out the Los Angeles Chargers, then sneaking past the Arizona Cardinals in overtime.
The final score is all that matters, and Jacksonville is finding a way. Is this approach sustainable? Probably not. But the Jaguars have created an opportunity to snatch the AFC South from the Colts’ clutches if they continue to find a way.
Yahoo Sports: 14 (15)
The Trevor Lawrence experience is exhausting. He threw three touchdowns and three (bad) interceptions in Week 12, which sums it up. Liam Coen has to be beside himself at all the mistakes that a fifth-year QB shouldn’t make. Jacksonville is 7-4 in spite of it.
NFL.com: 14 (16)
Glass half full: The Jaguars have won three of four since their Week 8 bye — including two overtime victories on the road — and the Colts’ lead in the AFC South has shrunk dramatically. If the Jags can take care of business against the 1-10 Titans this week, it will set up an epic showdown with Indy for divisional supremacy in Week 14 at Jacksonville — where the Colts haven’t won in more than a decade, strangely. However, there’s a glass-half-empty view, too. Beating the Raiders (now 2-9) and Cardinals (3-8) in OT only earns you so many flowers, and the shocking loss to the Texans in Week 10 still looms large. Sunday was hardly a thing of beauty, with Trevor Lawrence throwing three picks, although he rallied multiple times to lead important scoring drives. There’s a pluckiness to this group that can’t be denied, even as the Jaguars resemble flawed contenders.
ESPN: 14 (17)
Thanksgiving game memory: None, but maybe next year?
There was some thought that this streak could end in 2024 because the Jaguars were playing in Detroit and it seemed like a natural fit. Jacksonville was coming off back-to-back winning seasons for the first time since 2004-05. Their 2021 No. 1 pick, Trevor Lawrence, was a recognizable figure, and the team was led by a Super Bowl-winning coach in Doug Pederson. However, the NFL put that matchup in Week 11, a wise decision that saved the national audience a collective bout of indigestion. The Lions won 52-6, marking the worst loss in Jaguars history. The streak buster could happen in 2026, when the Jaguars are scheduled to play in Dallas.
Sports Illustrated: 18 (16)
I am starting to agree with Bill Simmons in that Trevor Lawrence is inching into the Jameis Winston camp. While the outlier moments are not quite as severe and Liam Coen seems to have realized this, the Jaguars are the closest entity we have to a Winstonian week in and week out performance. And that is worth tuning in for.
The Jaguars’ average rank this week is 13.9, up from 14.7 last week.
Where would you rank the team, Jaguars fans? Let us know in the comments!
