AFC South HC Power Ranking? Where do the Jaguars and Doug P stand entering Week 13?

1. Doug Pederson

Nobody should be surprised Doug Pederson turned the Jaguars into a viable team in his first season in charge. After all, he took the Philadelphia Eagles to the Super Bowl two years after becoming their head coach. Now in his second season in Jacksonville, the bar has been raised considerably.

While the Jaguars aren't still on the national media's radar, they get heavily scrutinized if they lose to a playoff-caliber team. That wasn't the case in previous years. If Jacksonville lost to, let's say the Kansas City Chiefs, analysts would just shrug and say something along the lines of, "Well, it was the Jags, what did you expect?" Nowadays, when the Jags beat a contender, talking heads will try to legitimize their achievements, which goes on to show how far the Jags have come the past two years.

For instance, take a look at the win over the Buffalo Bills in Week 5. Analysts look for any possible excuse to justify Buffalo's loss. From "the Bills were without Matt Milano for most of the game" to "they were jetlagged", the Jaguars didn't get the credit they deserved.

And that's the thing, Jacksonville has shown this season that they can bounce back from a bad loss (e.g. the Texans in Week 3, the Niners in Week 10), or compete in the midst of adversity (they're 5-0 on the road this season). Good teams overcome injuries, weather conditions, and whatever gets in their way. The Jags are a good team in 2023, and that's a reflection of their head coach, Doug Pederson.

Here are other recent Jaguars stories you may also enjoy: