The Jacksonville Jaguars are back to .500 after a mostly stress-free 23-7 win against the Atlanta Falcons in London.
While the Jaguars offense still wasn’t firing on all cylinders, the defense forced three turnovers and made life tough on Falcons quarterback Desmond Ridder.
Buy Jaguars TicketsIt was a step in the right direction for a team that was in jeopardy of digging itself a deep hole. And even if it wasn’t a smooth performance in every facet, it was enough to get some experts back on board with Jacksonville’s potential.
Here’s where the Jaguars landed in power rankings after the Week 4 win:
USA Today: 14th
Last week: 18th
They’re .500 (5-5) all time in London and 72 games below state-side. Maybe should have built that fancy new Miller Electric Center practice facility overseas while making just one trip to Jacksonville annually?
No. 1 team: San Francisco 49ers
ESPN: 13th
Last week: 19th
Biggest issue on defense: Pass rush consistency
It sounds weird considering the Jaguars just sacked Atlanta Falcons quarterback Desmond Ridder four times and linebacker Josh Allen is tied for the NFL lead with six sacks, but the pass rush is still an issue. This same group didn’t sack C.J. Stroud once the week before, and Allen doesn’t have much help. More consistent pressure, especially from 2022 No. 1 overall pick Travon Walker, needs to happen to complement Allen.
No. 1 team: San Francisco 49ers
NFL.com: 12th
Last week: 13th
The Jaguars might have sleepwalked through September, but the London performance was more on the level of what we expected coming into the season. The offense was efficient, if unsexy, against a solid Atlanta defense. Trevor Lawrence played one of his cleaner games this season, and the offensive line was not a net negative. You’d like to see Jacksonville convert in the red zone, but that was a winning performance on offense. It was even better on defense, which only really bent on the Falcons’ third quarter TD drive. The secondary stood tall, and Josh Allen is suddenly having one of his best seasons to date. Every AFC South team stands at 2-2. The Jaguars might be lucky their slow start didn’t hinder them more.
No. 1 team: San Francisco 49ers
The Athletic: 16th
Last week: 18th
Offense is still harder than it should be with Trevor Lawrence at quarterback and a skilled group of pass catchers. Jacksonville is 24th in the league in plays of 10 or more yards (41). Lawrence was efficient Sunday (23-for-30 for 207 yards and a touchdown), but he is 30th in the league in air yards per attempt (6.7) and 26th in pass EPA per dropback (minus-.14), according to TruMedia.
No. 1 team: San Francisco 49ers
Pro Football Talk: 13th
Last week: 18th
Beat the Bills, and many will believe.
No. 1 team: San Francisco 49ers
CBS Sports: 13th
Last week: 20th
After two straight losses, they seemed to right things against the Falcons. The offense still has been lagging some. Now comes a real test in the Buffalo Bills.
No. 1 team: San Francisco 49ers
Yahoo Sports: 12th
Last week: 21st
The Jaguars offense still isn’t clicking. They didn’t have a running back gain more than seven yards on any attempt Sunday. Trevor Lawrence had a solid but unspectacular 207 yards. That’s not great with the Bills defense on deck, in another London game next week.
No. 1 team: San Francisco 49ers
Touchdown Wire: 9th
Last week: 9th
The Jaguars were light-years ahead of the Falcons in London. I’m finally out of Toy Story puns.
No. 1 team: Buffalo Bills
Jaguars Wire: 14th
Last week: 19th
It’s not surprising to see so many power rankings vault the Jaguars back up several spots. I’m a little hesitant to put Jacksonville too high after another shaky showing from the offense, though. Perhaps the return of Cam Robinson will give the Jaguars the jolt they need.
