The Jacksonville Jaguars improved to 3-1 after beating the Cincinnati Bengals, 22-17, on the road. It was a roller coaster of the game, with the Jaguars marred by penalties, though they were able to overcome their self-imposed struggles to still walk away with a win.
Jacksonville again displayed a strong example of complementary football, so much so that it's being lauded as the most complete team in the NFL. Travis Hunter had an especially strong day, Trevor Lawrence continued to play well, and the defense held the Bengals to just 23 rushing yards total.
Where did that put them in the Week 5 power rankings? Read on.
Nate Davis, USA Today: #6 (+2)
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.
Pete Prisco, CBS Sports: #5 (+2)
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.
Conor Orr, SI.com: #2 (+3)
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.
Ralph Vacchiano, Fox Sports: #6 (+4)
You asked for this too, and so you got it. The Jaguars are in the top 10. Maybe they should have been all along. And maybe they are here to stay given what defensive coordinator Anthony Campanile is doing.
They have a little "bend but don’t break" to them, but it’s working. No one has scored more than 20 points against the Jags this season. They’ve got a league-best six picks, plus two fumble recoveries. Their plus-6 turnover ratio is also the best in the league.
Stat To Know: 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.
Josh Kendall and Chad Graff, The Athletic: #6 (+4)
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.
Michael DiRocco, ESPN: #5 (+5)
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.
Frank Schwab, Yahoo! Sports: #4 (+3)
The transitive property doesn't really work in the NFL but consider this: In Week 3, the Jaguars beat the Patriots 35-6. A week later that same Patriots team beat the Bills on the road. The easy takeaway from that, and how Jacksonville has looked in a season-plus of the Liam Coen era: The Jaguars have been underrated here and that needs to change. Coen is 16-5 as Jaguars head coach.
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.
Brent Sobleski, Bleacher Report: #5 (+3)
Most of the attention placed on the Jacksonville Jaguars tends to involve the offensive side of the ball, whether the discussion centers on quarterback Trevor Lawrence, the continued growth of wide receiver Parker Washington, tight end Brenton Strange, etc.
However, Jacksonville's defense deserves far more attention this season.
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.
Liam Coen's squad is clearly the best the AFC South has to offer.
Mike Florio, NBC Sports: #3 (+2)
The Jaguars have the best shot at winning the No. 1 seed in the AFC.
This article originally appeared on Jaguars Wire: Where Jaguars land in Week 5 power rankings after defeating Bengals
