The Jacksonville Jaguars are preparing to take on the Indianapolis Colts following a bye. The Jaguars are currently 4-2, after falling to the Houston Texans 34-31 in Week 6, but got some help during the off week with the rest of the AFC South losing each of their respective games in Week 7.
The Indianapolis Colts
lost 16-10 to the Minnesota Vikings, the Houston Texans fell 27-21 in overtime to the New York Giants, and the Tennessee Titans lost 27-24 to the Cleveland Browns.The Jaguars now have a fairly decent cushion protecting their lead over the AFC South. They will next face the Colts for another divisional matchup, and one of their few remaining home games left this year.
After the bye, where does Jacksonville land in Week 8 power rankings?
Nate Davis, USA Today: #7
Might be a good week to showcase Brian Thomas Jr., who's effectively become WR5 here − targeted eight times over the past four games − despite what coach Liam Coen says.
Pete Prisco, CBS Sports: #9 (-1)
They come off their bye with the news that left tackle Anton Harrison is done for the year with a knee injury. Walker Little played well against the Texans, but can he hold up?
Conor Orr, SI.com: #8
Could the Jaguars not only move Brian Thomas Jr. at the trade deadline, but get an interior defensive line piece in return? This is going to be a big test for James Gladstone with a possible Super Bowl team hanging in the balance.
Ralph Vacchiano, Fox Sports: #8
The 34 points the Jaguars gave up to the Texans before their bye week looks like a real anomaly for a defense that has been mostly impressive this season. It’s certainly nothing to worry about considering their upcoming schedule. They face the Colts, Ravens, Giants and Titans (twice) over the next five weeks. The Ravens and Giants are tough, but each of those games is winnable. The Jaguars could be rising in these rankings fast.
Stat To Know: The Jaguars have gone 23 straight games without allowing a 75-plus-yard rusher, tied for the third-longest streak since 1966. Only the 49ers have had longer streaks: 27 games from 2021-23 and 26 games from 1989-91.
Chad Graff and Josh Kendall, The Athletic: #8 (-1)
Something spooky: Cam Little’s leg
How scary-strong is Little’s leg? In his last three games, he’s 4-for-4 on field goal tries of 54 yards or more. He’s a true weapon for Jacksonville.
Michael DiRocco, ESPN: #6 (-1)
A back injury to right guard Patrick Mekari forced the Jaguars to shuffle the offensive line in training camp. Left guard Ezra Cleveland moved over to right guard, which gave Pregnon the opportunity to earn first-team reps. The third-round rookie has a 71.6% run block win rate (fourth highest among Jaguars starting linemen), but he has helped them be much better in short-yardage runs -- a priority for coach Liam Coen in 2026. The Jaguars averaged 1.3 yards per carry on runs in third-and-short (2 yards or fewer) in 2025, which ranked last in the NFL. They're averaging 3.1 yards in that situation in 2026 (eighth-best mark).
Gary Davenport, Bleacher Report: #8 (-1)
The Jacksonville Jaguars entered their off week on a down note after losing a nailbiter last week to the Houston Texans in London. However, after watching every other team in AFC South lose in Week 7, they should be feeling pretty good—because the division is theirs for the taking.
Sitting at least two-and-a-half games clear of every other team in the AFC South, the Jags are the prohibitive favorites to win the division title. Simply put, they are a vastly better team than Houston, Indianapolis or Tennessee.
The question now is less will the Jaguars make the playoffs than how much damage they can do in them. When playing at their best, we have seen these Jags boatrace the Cleveland Browns and New England Patriots. But in both of their losses, Jacksonville couldn't put an opponent away late.
That could come back to bite them in January.
Mike Florio, NBC Sports: #2 (+2)
For the first time ever, a team ascends to No. 2 without playing.
This article originally appeared on Jaguars Wire: Where Jaguars land in Week 8 power rankings after the bye
