Jaguars trending up in NFL Power Rankings following win vs. Titans

The Jacksonville Jaguars have played poorly at times this season but they’ve also had several impressive wins, like the one against the Tennessee Titans in Week 14. Playing on the road, the Jags beat their division foes and kept themselves in the thick of the playoff race for at least one more week. Not surprisingly, they also moved up a few spots in most power rankings.

Mike Florio placed Jacksonville at No. 20 in Pro Football Talk’s ranking, noting that they could be playing for the AFC South title in the season finale. Although Pete Prisco of CBS Sports kept the Jags at No. 24, the same spot as last week, he says Trevor Lawrence will keep them relevant for a long time.

Also, Dan Hanzus of NFL Media moved Jacksonville seven spots in his ranking. He points out that Lawrence’s toe injury didn’t seem to bother him on a day in which he set a career-high for most yards in a single game with 368. Hanzus also highlights tight end Evan Engram’s impressive performance and goes on to say that the Jaguars are getting hot at the right time.

"Trevor Lawrence didn’t play like a quarterback with a bum toe on Sunday. The second-year passer continued to build on his hugely encouraging sophomore season, throwing for 368 yards and three touchdowns in a 36-22 win over the reeling Titans in Nashville. Lawrence’s top target was Evan Engram, long an enigma during his time with the Giants but looking like a fully realized force in a monster 11/162/2 effort. The win moves Jacksonville within two games of Tennessee in the AFC South with four to play — still long-shot odds, but a situation worth monitoring. Lawrence and Co. are peaking at the right time."

The Jags beat Tennessee 36-22 and one of the things that made this an impressive win is that they were trailing 14-7 at one point but went on to score 29 points. The Titans eventually managed to strike back but by then, the outcome was already decided.

The Jaguars make a statement in win over the Titans in Week 14

Head coach Doug Pederson and most Jaguars players described the loss to the Detroit Lions in Week 13 as embarrassing and it’s easy to see the way. The Jags were playing at home and they were favorites but the Lions came in and beat them into submission. It was hard to tell how they were going to respond and they showed against the Titans that they’re a proud bunch.

Both the offense and the defense made plays and they did it against a division foe that they last beat in 2019 and hadn’t defeated on the road since 2013. Following the game, Pederson met the media and said that this win meant a lot to the team.

“As far as the victory on the road, against a great football team here in Nashville, where we obviously haven’t done well means a lot”, Pederson said. “It means a lot to myself, the organization, the Khans. To be able to do that and for the players to really play well, they listened, they bounced back from last week”.

The loss to the Lions was arguably the Jaguars’ lowest point of the season. On the other hand, their decisive win over the Titans proves they are also capable of playing well and showcases the progress they’ve made under Doug Pederson. While there’s still plenty of work left, it’s clear Jacksonville is trending in the right direction. Of course, having a quarterback as good as Trevor Lawrence helps.

Whether the Jaguars qualify for the postseason or not are still relevant with four weeks left in the 2022 season, which hasn’t been the case in a while.