The Jacksonville Jaguars are rolling with three wins in the last four weeks, all against teams that are .500 or better.
The latest win was the most impressive with the Jaguars, rallying from down 27-10 against the 10-win Dallas Cowboys to beat the team with a pick six in overtime.
With three weeks left in the regular season, the Jaguars are now just one game behind the Tennessee Titans in the AFC South and are on the verge of setting up a Week 18 duel for the division title.
Unsurprisingly, Jacksonville’s reversal of fortunes has impressed much of the national media. Here’s a sampling of the Jaguars’ sharp rise up weekly power rankings:
Touchdown Wire (Mark Lane)
Jaguars ranking: 11 (last week 17)
Imagine they’re the same record as the Buccaneers, yet Jacksonville is playing more like an inevitable playoff team. Everyone knew the Dallas Cowboys were going to challenge Trevor Lawrence with their pass rush, and he took one sack and threw one interception. Travis Etienne stepped up with 103 rushing yards and Zay Jones generated 109 receiving yards and three touchdown catches. It wasn’t just Lawrence; it was a team win upsetting the Cowboys.
USA Today (Nate Davis)
Jaguars ranking: 14 (last week 18)
Their ascent has coincided with QB Trevor Lawrence’s. But WR Zay Jones, who scored three times in Sunday’s upset of Dallas, has also been a huge part of Jacksonville’s surge.
NFL.com (Dan Hanzus)
Jaguars ranking: 11 (last week 17)
The Jaguars are for real. Doug Pederson’s team wiped out a 17-point second-half deficit and walked off the Cowboys on Rayshawn Jenkins’ dramatic pick-six in overtime. The 40-34 win served as the latest showcase for Trevor Lawrence’s sudden ascension to franchise star status, while also moving Jacksonville within a game of the death-spiraling Titans in an AFC South photo finish that no one saw coming. The Jaguars can put a tremendous amount of pressure on Tennessee with a prime-time win over the slumping Jets on Thursday Night Football. As for Lawrence: The 2021 No. 1 overall pick has a passer rating of 111.1 with 13 touchdown throws and one pick over his last five games, looking like one of the best quarterbacks in football during that stretch. It’s all happening.
ESPN (Michael DiRocco)
Jaguars ranking: 16 (last week 19)
Rayshawn Jenkins has been significantly more impactful in his second season in Jacksonville. The Jaguars are using Jenkins as more of a box safety, resulting in career highs in tackles (95), solo tackles (60) and forced fumbles (2). He also has a career-high three interceptions, including two in the team’s overtime victory over Dallas on Sunday. He took the second one back 52 yards for the winning score.
Pro Football Talk (Mike Florio)
Jaguars ranking: 14 (last week 20)
They could make things very interesting in the AFC playoff field, if they get there.
CBS Sports (Pete Prisco)
Jaguars ranking: 17 (last week 24)
At 6-8, they will be a playoff team if they win out. That is simply incredible. Trevor Lawrence has been special the past month.
Yahoo Sports (Frank Schwab)
Jaguars ranking: 12 (last week 18)
The highlight of Sunday’s overtime win over the Cowboys was Trevor Lawrence looking like a future MVP. He was tremendous. But safety Rayshawn Jenkins had the game of his life too. He had 18 tackles and two interceptions, including a walk-off pick-six in overtime. What a performance.
