NFL Week 15 Power Rankings: Jaguars jump into AFC spotlight while preseason Super Bowl contenders crumble
The Chiefs’ and Ravens’ playoff hopes are on life support after both teams suffered losses Sunday, Chargers big movers
All those who had the Jacksonville Jaguars as the No. 3 seed in the AFC in early December, please step forward.
Stop it — you’re lying if you say you did.
The Jaguars have quietly — and everything involving this team tends to be quiet because of the market and lack of national exposure — gone 9-4 and taken over first place in the AFC South. They beat up on the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday in a dominating 36-19 victory. Yes, the Colts lost quarterback Daniel Jones, which made things easier, but you can’t argue with the result.
Coach Liam Coen has done a terrific job with this group, enough to earn him some Coach of the Year votes. The Jaguars close out the season with home games against the Jets and Titans and road trips to the Jones-less Colts and the Broncos.
If they can beat Denver in two weeks, they’ll have a chance to secure the No. 2 seed. That’s unreal considering the mess Coen took over last February.
Coen has taken an offense that struggled last season and elevated it to ninth in scoring at 25.2 points per game. Over the last three weeks, they’re averaging 29.3.
Trevor Lawrence, who started slowly this season and drew questions from some, has taken his game up a notch. He threw for 244 yards and two touchdowns against the Colts, but it’s how he’s playing that stands out: He’s much more decisive and willing to take shot throws.
The defense, led by rising coaching star Anthony Campanile, ranks 10th in scoring defense at 20.9 points per game and sits atop the league in rushing defense at 82.9 yards per game.
Taken as a whole, the roster’s talent won’t wow anyone, which is a testament to the coaching staff. But general manager James Gladstone has made savvy additions, including acquiring receiver Jakobi Meyers from the Raiders. He has juiced up the offense in a big way.
The Jaguars are up to No. 6 in my Power Rankings this week as they continue to shock a lot of people. In a year without many dominant teams, could they get hot and make a run?
It’s possible. We’ll know far more about them in two weeks when they head to Denver. But with a soft schedule remaining, they should be a playoff team barring a major collapse.
If they win the division and secure a top-two or top-three seed, Coen will absolutely deserve Coach of the Year consideration.
And anyone who claims they saw this coming is lying.