After finishing 4-13 the year prior, the Jacksonville Jaguars had relatively low expectations in 2025. Surprisingly, they managed to exceed them, going 13-4 and winning the AFC South. By the end of the season, the Jags were among the hottest teams in the NFL, not just the division.
And while it all came to a screeching halt when Jacksonville lost to the Buffalo Bills, head coach Liam Coen's squad did enough to make you think that they're far from a one-year wonder. In fact, an NFL analyst believes they are among the best teams in the league following their impressive success in 2025.
The Jaguars are a top 3 team in CBS Sports' latest NFL Power Ranking
Pete Prisco of CBS Sports did an NFL Power Ranking following the Super Bowl and had the Jaguars at No. 4, noting that they're in a great position to build off of their success in 2025. Here's the skinny.
"This young team is building toward something, and Liam Coen is the right guy for the job," Prisco wrote. "They do have to find ways to improve their pass rush."
Prisco is right. Jacksonville lost to the Buffalo Bills in the playoffs but had them against the ropes at several points of the game. Although the Jags ultimately came up short but showed that they could keep up with the best teams in the league. In fact, the losses to the Seattle Seahawks and the Los Angeles Rams were the only ones in which they were outright overmatched last year.
The only teams that were higher than Jacksonville in the power ranking were the Seattle Seahawks (duh), the Super Bowl runner-up New England Patriots, and the Los Angeles Rams.
And in case you were wondering, no other AFC South team made the top 10. The Houston Texans were 11th, while the Indianapolis Colts and the Tennessee Titans popped up at No. 24 and No. 30, respectively.
The Jaguars must bolster the pass rush to get over the hump in 2026
Circling back to Pete Prisco's remarks, the pass rush is definitely a concern. As good as Travon Walker and Josh Hines-Allen were, they were non-factors against the Bills, allowing quarterback Josh Allen to shred the secondary.
But leaving aside the lack of game-altering plays from Walker and Hines-Allen, many of Jacksonville's pash-rush woes stemmed from their inability to create pressure on the interior defensive line. Arik Armstead got off to a strong start to the season but slowed down late in the season. Even then, he ended the year with 49 pressures. No other defensive tackle on the Jags logged more than 20. DaVon Hamilton was a distant second with 13.
Compounding the issue is that Armstead could be a cap casualty in 2026. Whether he sticks around or not, the Jaguars must make upgrades at defensive tackle and find a No. 3 pass rusher behind Walker and Hines-Allen. If they do, they should have no trouble returning to the playoffs and maybe even making a deep run next season.
Already, the Jags have plenty of talent at key positions, but if they do address the pass rush, they will stay in the top 5 of most Power Rankings throughout most of the year.