Jaguars slide (but not much) in power rankings following loss to Eagles

The Jacksonville Jaguars were riding high after beating the Indianapolis Colts and the Los Angeles Chargers in consecutive wins. However, they came crashing down against the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 4. The Jags will surely bounce back from the loss but they rightfully moved down in most power rankings following their loss to the Eagles.

Keep in mind that Jacksonville still has a favorable spot in most rankings. After all, they’re still at the top of their division and are third in the AFC. Dan Hanzus of NFL Media had the Jags at No. 18 last week and he only moved them down two spots. He cites Trevor Lawrence’s subpar performance as one of the reasons.

"The learning process for Trevor Lawrence goes on. Playing in sloppy, wet conditions, the Jaguars’ second-year quarterback lacked awareness in the pocket and was too careless with the football in a 29-21 loss to the Eagles. Lawrence fumbled the ball four times (losing all four) and three a crushing red-zone interception — an avalanche of giveaways that allowed the undefeated Eagles to wipe aways an early 14-0 deficit."

Hanzus goes on to say that the Texans will be the ideal opponent for Lawrence and the Jaguars to bounce back. On the other hand, the Bleacher Report NFL staff ranked the Jaguars at No. 13, one week after giving them the 10th spot. They too point to Lawrence’s struggles and Jacksonville’s inability to slow down the Eagles’ dependable running game. Last but not least is Pete Prisco of CBS Sports, who moved the Jags five spots in his rankings and placed them at No. 14.

The Jaguars have been getting fair rankings this season

Praise isn’t automatic, so it’s not surprising to see the Jaguars slide in pretty much every power ranking after losing to Philadelphia. On the other hand, the drop wasn’t significant. After all, they didn’t suddenly stop being good, they just had a bad game and they will have a chance to rebound in Week 5.

Of course, if the Jaguars continue to lose, they will keep falling but it’s more probable that they will get back in the win column at least for a week. Trevor Lawrence had a historic bad outing in Week 4, that’s what makes it highly unlikely that he will struggle as badly again. Similarly, the Jags have too much talent not to win more games this season. Also, the AFC South is in a weakened state and is winnable.

Having said that, the Jags will need to earn their spot in power rankings moving forward.