The Jacksonville Jaguars watched from home in Week 9 while resting up during a much-needed bye.
The weekend of rest and recuperation still had an impact on the Jaguars’ place in the standings, though. Both the Houston Texans and Indianapolis Colts inched a little closer in the AFC South and the Kansas City Chiefs and Baltimore Ravens pushed out in front in the race for the best record in the AFC.
Teams like the Cincinnati Bengals and Cleveland Browns continued to push their way into the conversation, while early frontrunners like the Buffalo Bills and Miami Dolphins continued to raise questions about their chances at contending.
With so many teams moving up and down over the weekend, did the Jaguars hold steady during their bye? Here’s where experts think Jacksonville stacks up with Week 10 on the way:
USA Today: 5th
Last week: 4th
Coming off their Week 9 bye, October’s road warriors will leave Jacksonville just once in the next four weeks. Beating the Niners on Sunday would be quite a statement.
No. 1 team: Baltimore Ravens
ESPN: 6th
Last week: 6th
Non-QB MVP: OLB Josh Allen
Running back Travis Etienne Jr. (583 yards rushing, 8 total TDs) might deserve it, too, but Allen gets the nod because the defense has surprisingly carried an offense that hasn’t operated at a consistently high level in the first half. Allen is having the best year of his career (9 sacks) and has pretty much been the Jaguars’ entire pass rush. His 48 QB pressures are more than twice the number of the next-closest teammate (Travon Walker with 22), according to NFL Next Gen Stats. He also has helped the run defense rank third in the NFL (79.3 yards per game).
No. 1 team: Philadelphia Eagles
The Athletic: 8th
Last week: 10th
Don’t look now, but Jacksonville is 12-3 in its last 15 games. The Jaguars aren’t dominant in any one area of the game. They are 18th in the league in yards per play allowed (5.2) and 19th in yards per play (5.1). But they have created more turnovers (2.25 per game) than anyone in the league and are ninth in point differential (plus-37). Their matchup this week with the 49ers with both teams coming off a bye is the game of the week.
No. 1 team: Baltimore Ravens
Pro Football Talk: 3rd
Last week: 2nd
Beat the 49ers this weekend, and they are the real deal.
No. 1 team: Philadelphia Eagles
CBS Sports: 3rd
Last week: 3rd
They come off their bye with a huge game against the 49ers at home. That is a proving game of sorts in terms of the national stage.
No. 1 team: Philadelphia Eagles
Yahoo Sports: 6th
Last week: 8th
The Jaguars get the 49ers at home Sunday in a huge game for Jacksonville. Win that and the Jaguars will take their place among the elite teams in the NFL and will have to be taken seriously as a Super Bowl contender. We’ll know a lot more about Jacksonville after Sunday.
No. 1 team: Baltimore Ravens
Touchdown Wire: 5th
Last week: 3rd
The Jaguars were on a bye in Week 9, but they get Wally Pipped by two teams who played fantastically.
No. 1 team: Philadelphia Eagles
Jaguars Wire: 4th
Last week: 4th
The Kansas City Chiefs went up and the Miami Dolphins went down after their Germany tilt. The Jaguars, who were in the middle in the JaguarsWire rankings, stayed put as those two teams swapped around them.
No. 1 team: Philadelphia Eagles
