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.
Biggest Movers
Rk
Teams
Chg
Rcrd
1
Patriots
They come off their bye with a big one this week against the Bills. Drake Maye’s MVP candidacy will be on full display.
—
11-2-0
2
Broncos
They continue to do good things on defense, but at some point the offense needs chunk plays in the passing game. They’ll need that against the Packers this week.
—
11-2-0
3
Rams
They got back on track against the Cardinals after losing to the Panthers last week. Matthew Stafford and the passing game lit it up.
—
10-3-0
4
Seahawks
They beat up on the Falcons for a good road victory and now face a Colts team without its starting quarterback. With the Rams looming next week, they can’t get caught looking ahead.
—
10-3-0
5
Packers
Beating the Bears puts them atop the NFC North. The passing game has really come alive the past two weeks as they head to Denver to face the Broncos’ top defense.
—
9-3-1
6
Jaguars
Trevor Lawrence has taken major strides the past two weeks. It’s all starting to click in the new offense.
2
9-4-0
7
Bears
They played well in the loss to the Packers but just couldn’t make plays late. The pass defense has to be better.
1
9-4-0
8
49ers
They come off their bye with a soft schedule the next two weeks that should get them into the playoffs. They’ve navigated a ton of injuries to get here.
1
9-4-0
9
Texans
They have righted things in a big way, and with a soft schedule left, they should be a playoff team — and maybe win the division. That defense is nasty.
2
8-5-0
10
Bills
Josh Allen carried them past the Bengals in the snow, showing exactly how this team needs to play to win. It’s his time. Let him loose.
2
9-4-0
11
Chargers
Given their daunting schedule, that might have been a season-saving win over the Eagles on Monday night. Justin Herbert showed a lot playing through the hand injury.
7
9-4-0
12
Eagles
Jalen Hurts just isn’t playing well enough, and the play-calling has been awful. Three straight losses has them tumbling down the rankings.
5
8-5-0
13
Buccaneers
They haven’t looked right in a while and are now tied in the NFC South. Baker Mayfield has to be more hurt than he’s letting on based on how he’s playing.
3
7-6-0
14
Panthers
They come off their bye tied with the Bucs in the division race at 7-6, with two games left against them. They can’t look past the Saints this week.
5
7-6-0
15
Steelers
Winning in Baltimore was huge. Aaron Rodgers played well, and they now sit in first place.
5
7-6-0
16
Colts
They lost Daniel Jones and have four brutal games ahead. Signing Philip Rivers won’t save the season if it happens.
2
8-5-0
17
Lions
They may have saved their season by beating the Cowboys at home, but now face a tough road trip to the Rams. Losing safety Brian Branch (torn Achilles) is a major blow.
2
8-5-0
18
Cowboys
They aren’t done yet, but the loss to Detroit was a major hit to their playoff hopes. They can’t afford another.
5
6-6-1
19
Chiefs
Barring a miracle, they’ll miss the playoffs. That’s stunning to type. Patrick Mahomes watching the postseason doesn’t sound right.
3
6-7-0
20
Ravens
Two home losses have this team reeling. At 6-7, they have to get it going, or one of the preseason AFC favorites will be watching the playoff party.
3
6-7-0
21
Dolphins
Mike McDaniel has this team surging, and it might just save his job. They face a big one this week with the Steelers.
1
6-7-0
22
Bengals
The loss to the Bills all but ends their playoff hopes. It’s too bad — this would’ve been a fun postseason team.
1
4-9-0
23
Vikings
J.J. McCarthy did some really good things against the Commanders, which should give them hope. They’re all playing for next year now, though.
—
5-8-0
24
Cardinals
They looked awful in the loss to the Rams, the kind that might prompt changes. With Kyler Murray out for the season, the question becomes: Will he ever wear a Cardinals uniform again?
—
3-10-0
25
Commanders
From NFC title game to out of the playoffs is not a good look. Injuries have played a role, but the defensive talent simply isn’t good enough.
—
3-10-0
26
Falcons
This season has to be considered a blatant failure given the preseason expectations. Will heads roll?
1
4-9-0
27
Saints
Tyler Shough has shown some good things the past month. Maybe they’ve found their guy.
4
3-10-0
28
Jets
This season has been rough, but they’re loaded with draft assets. They should do everything they can to land Fernando Mendoza.
2
3-10-0
29
Giants
They come off their bye focused on keeping Jaxson Dart healthy and getting him more comfortable as the starter. The next question: Who will be the next coach?
1
2-11-0
30
Titans
They won a game, but it hurts their draft position — not ideal.
2
2-11-0
31
Browns
Shedeur Sanders showed some good things in the loss to the Titans. But what in the world was that two-point play?
2
3-10-0
32
Raiders
They get worse by the week. The offense is awful. They need a quarterback.
2
2-11-0
