Jaguars ranked 19th in USA Today NFL Power Poll

With the loss on Sunday, the Jacksonville Jaguars slip in the most recent USA Today NFL power rankings.

Head coach Doug Marrone said he liked the team that has played through a 4-5 record at the start of the 2019 NFL season. Now that the Jacksonville Jaguars have their bye week and players can continue to rest from injuries and prepare for the second half of the season, the focus now shifts to trying to make the playoffs with several teams in front of this roster for a wildcard berth.

The chances look slim, but there is hope with Nick Foles coming back to start against the Indianapolis Colts and players who have been injured are likely to see the field in practice next Monday. The Jaguars are still a dangerous team is they can find ways to beat winning football teams and attack their opponents with a crushing defense like the games against Cincinnati and the New York Jets.

"“Well, I do like this team,” Marrone said on Tuesday when he announced that Foles would resume as the starter at quarterback.“The way we work, the way we prepare, the way we are focused. That’ll probably be a really good question for Monday, because I can be very specific on the things we need to work on like the red zone, or third down on offense or getting to better positions on third down on defense.”"

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The Jaguars 26-3 loss on Sunday in London was a surprise because of the way the team, that should have a decided advantage across the pond, stumbled out of the gate and could not catch up. It’s also a bigger deal since Gardner Minshew had two interceptions and two fumbles on the day – his worst performance in a Jaguars uniform.

In his most recent NFL Power Poll by Doug Farrar of Touchdown Wire, the Jaguars come in 19th overall, four spots lower than last week.

"“With Nick Foles ready to come back from his Week 1 collarbone injury, it was time for Gardner Minshew to make head coach Doug Marrone’s quarterback decision as difficult as possible by balling out against the Texans over in London. This, Minshew did not do,” Farrar explained."

The Jaguars offensive numbers aren’t bad considering where this team was a year ago and where they are today, minus Foles in the lineup. They are scoring 19.6 points a game, up from 15.3 last season. The passing offense is 14th in the NFL. The running game is 10th overall. Leonard Fournette leads the AFC in rushing and is third overall.

Defensively, it could be better as the Jaguars average 21 points a game allowed. The three-game stretch of New Orleans, Cincinnati and the New York Jets proved that this is a team that can play well, but consistency on that side of the ball is an issue.

Despite the loss on Sunday and the dip in the rankings, Farrar explains that despite the four turnovers in the game, he still likes the success Minshew has had in a short window of time.

"“Even with this stinker of a game, Minshew still leads all rookie quarterbacks in touchdown passes (13), passing yards (2,285), and quarterback rating (92.8). It’s not even certain that Foles will bring anything to the field that Minshew doesn’t…,” he adds. “The Jaguars have a bye next week, but given the four-year, $88 million contract the team gave Foles this offseason, they’re going to want to at least find out.”"