Jaguars enjoy surge in NFL Power Rankings following win vs. Cowboys

The Jacksonville Jaguars are finding out that winning gets the attention of talking heads around the league. Following their exciting win over the Dallas Cowboys in overtime of Week 15, the Jags and Trevor Lawrence have gotten renewed interest from football analysts. Similarly, they’ve moved up several spots in most NFL rankings.

Frank Schwab of Yahoo! Sports placed Jacksonville at No. 12, four spots above the Tennesse Titans. Schwab like most pundits highlighted Lawrence’s and safety Rayshawn Jenkins’ respective performances against the Boys. Also, the Jags ranked 16th in Bleacher Report’s power ranking after landing at No. 21 last week. The B/R staff notes that they’re one game behind their AFC South foes and could seize the division crown if they remain hot for the remainder of the season.

Pete Prisco of CBS Sports moved the Jaguars seven spots (17th) in his ranking and echoes that they’ll make the playoffs if they win their last three games of the season, which is likely. There’s also Dan Hanzus of NFL Media, who put the Jags just outside of the top ten, at No. 11. Here’s what he had to say.

"The Jaguars are for real. Doug Pederson’s team wiped out a 17-point second-half deficit and walked off the Cowboys on Rayshawn Jenkins’ dramatic pick-six in overtime. The 40-34 win served as the latest showcase for Trevor Lawrence’s sudden ascension to the franchise start status while also moving Jacksonville within a game of the death-spiraling Titans in an AC South photo finish that no one saw coming."

After going 2-6 in the first eight weeks of the season, the Jags are 4-8 since beating the Las Vegas Raiders in Week 9. The offensive line is protecting Trevor Lawrence, while Christian Kirk, Zay Jones, and tight end Evan Engram are all making plays. Also, the defense is making plays. Although the group has had a bit of trouble stopping opposing teams from scoring, they’ve more than made up for it by forcing turnovers at a high rate.

The Jaguars have shown resilience during the 2022 season

You will often hear coaches and players about moving on and all talk about the next game and that’s precisely what the Jaguars have done in 2022. During their five-game losing skid early in the season, they tried to remain focused on the end goal instead of letting the loss affect them. It was surely a frustrating stretch for them but their approach has paid off.

Instead of tuning out after losing to the Denver Broncos in Week 8, they fought back. Similarly, nobody would have batted an eye if they had thrown the towel following their embarrassing loss to the Detroit Lions but they didn’t. They showed they are tired of losing and have steadily made their way into a potential trip to the playoffs.

As a team captain, Lawrence deserves credit for bouncing back and playing at a high level after his poor outing against the Broncos. He’s leading the team by example and has turned skeptics into believers with his play on the field. In fact, the Jags’ recent success is a reflection of his improved performance.

If the Jaguars keep playing well in the upcoming weeks, it will be hard to keep them out of the playoffs and the top 10 in power rankings.