The Jacksonville Jaguars dominated the New England Patriots for a 35-6 win in Week 3, a huge comeback from the previous week's loss to the Denver Broncos.
While the Jaguars weren't perfect, it was a strong win that displayed complementary football. The offense, defense, and special teams all turned in good performances and reignited the hype surrounding Jacksonville's playoff chances.
How did that win reflect in this week's power rankings? Read on.
Nate Davis, USA Today: #8 (+3)
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.
Pete Prisco, CBS Sports: #7 (+3)
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.
Conor Orr, SI.com: #5 (+6)
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.
Ralph Vacchiano, Fox Sports: #10 (+2)
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.
Josh Kendall and Chad Graff, The Athletic: #10 (+4)
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.
Michael DiRocco, ESPN: #10 (+3)
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.
Frank Schwab, Yahoo! Sports: #7 (+1)
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.
Gary Davenport, Bleacher Report: #8 (+2)
Last week, Knox wrote that Sunday's visit from the defending AFC champions, "will speak volumes about how seriously we should take the Jaguars as AFC contenders."
Knox was absolutely right—because the Jaguars dropped a set of encyclopedias on the New England Patriots Sunday.
For the second time in as many home games this year, the Jaguars completely dominated their opponent. Trevor Lawrence didn't have a big day yardage-wise, but he threw three touchdown passes. Jacksonville averaged 4.6 yards a carry and found paydirt twice on the ground. The Jags converted eight of 12 third downs. And the team forced three turnovers.
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.
Mike Florio, NBC Sports: #5 (+2)
Get used to the possibility of seeing a lot of teal in L.A. during Super Bowl week.
This article originally appeared on Jaguars Wire: Where Jaguars land in Week 4 power rankings after defeating Patriots
