Jacksonville Jaguars Week 14 Power Rankings: Back on track
By Daniel Lago
After a big bounce back win against the Indianapolis Colts, the Jaguars host the Seahawks this week in a game that will have playoff implications.
Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Blake Bortles may be one of the more polarizing signal callers in the league right now but there’s one thing everyone can agree on – he owns the Indianapolis Colts.
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After a disheartening loss to the Arizona Cardinals, the Colts are exactly what the Jaguars needed to get back on track. Bortles once again looked like a sharp passer and his command of the offense when the reigns are given to him against lesser opponents is downright impressive.
The Jaguars have a great defense but the question the entire season has been how far can this team go with Bortles at the helm. Weeks like this give the team hope that maybe, just maybe, if the good Blake shows up in January, the Jaguars would be unstoppable.
So where does that leave them in the power rankings? Lets find out:
"8. Jacksonville Jaguars (8-4, LW: 9)Marqise Lee, a former second-round pick who had seven catches for 86 yards and a touchdown on Sunday, has emerged as a solid go-to receiver. Once the Jaguars find an upgrade at quarterback, he could really put up some nice numbers."
"7. Jacksonville JaguarsSo, I take it the Jags kinda like how they match up against the Colts … That’s two games between these teams now, with 57 points for the good guys, 10 points for the bad guys. (Well, from Duval County’s perspective.) Jacksonville’s defense once again made Indy look lost, recording two picks and four sacks while holding the Colts to a 33 percent conversion rate on third down. Blake Bortles enjoyed his finest day of the season, completing 26 of his 35 throws for 309 yards and two scores, while adding a 20-yard scamper. That’s encouraging, right? Yes? Kind of?"
"8. Jacksonville Jaguars2017 record: 8-4Week 13 ranking: No. 11The Jaguars are averaging an NFL-best 149.4 rushing yards per game thanks to a pair of rookies. First-round pick Leonard Fournette is 178 yards shy of becoming the second rookie 1,000-yard rusher in franchise history — the first was Fred Taylor — and second-round pick Cam Robinson has started all 12 games at left tackle."
My take:
With 8 wins and essentially a guaranteed playoff spot barring an epic collapse, the Jaguars should remain in the top 10 of most power rankings for the rest of the season.
This week they face the biggest test of the year as they face a Seattle Seahawks team that is riding high after taking down the top team in the league in the Philadelphia Eagles.
In a grand sense, this a huge game for the Jaguars and their place in the NFL hierarchy. The last time these two teams played in 2013, the Seahawks curbstomped the Jaguars to the tune of 45-17.
The Seahawks aren’t scoring 45 points this time and this should be a good litmus test of how the Jaguars would do against a seasoned team in the playoffs.