Analysts Break Down Jacksonville Jaguars’ Week 13 Power Ranking

As the NFL regular season enters its final stretch, power rankings become more than just a weekly list—they’re a barometer of a team’s playoff readiness, a reflection of recent momentum, and a topic of heated debate among analysts and fans alike. For the Jacksonville Jaguars, Week 13 brought a notable shift: after a 27-17 victory over the AFC South rival Tennessee Titans, most major outlets (including ESPN, NFL.com, and Pro Football Focus) moved the Jaguars up 3-5 spots in their rankings, with the team now sitting between No. 12 and No. 15 league-wide. This jump isn’t just a reward for a single win; it’s a recognition of the Jaguars’ recent resurgence—four wins in their last five games—and their growing status as a legitimate AFC South contender. Analysts Break Down Jacksonville Jaguars’ Week 13 Power Ranking dives into the factors driving this upward movement, the areas where analysts still see room for improvement, and what the ranking says about the Jaguars’ chances of making a deep playoff run. For Jaguars nation, the ranking is a sign that the team’s hard work is paying off—but it also comes with a reminder that consistency will be key in the weeks ahead.

Analysts Break Down Jacksonville Jaguars’ Week 13 Power Ranking first highlights the role of the Jaguars’ balanced offense in their ranking surge. Led by quarterback Trevor Lawrence, who threw for 245 yards and two touchdowns against the Titans, the offense has averaged 28.4 points per game over the last five weeks—up from 22.1 points in the first seven games. Analysts like ESPN’s Mike Clay have emphasized Lawrence’s growth as a game manager: “What stands out about Lawrence lately is his decision-making. He’s cut down on forced throws (just one interception in his last five starts) and is using his legs strategically (45 rushing yards against the Titans) to extend drives. That’s the sign of a quarterback who’s maturing into a franchise leader.” The running game has also been a catalyst, with Travis Etienne Jr. rushing for 112 yards and a touchdown against the Titans to push his season total to 890 yards. NFL.com’s Bucky Brooks noted that the Jaguars’ ability to control the clock—they held possession for 35:12 against the Titans, their highest total of the season—has been a game-changer: “Good teams win the time of possession battle, and the Jaguars are finally doing that consistently. It keeps their defense fresh and limits the opponent’s opportunities, which is why they’ve been so hard to beat lately.” This offensive balance has made the Jaguars a more unpredictable and dangerous team, a factor that analysts have weighed heavily in their Week 13 rankings.

While the offense has grabbed headlines, Analysts Break Down Jacksonville Jaguars’ Week 13 Power Ranking also underscores the defense’s recent improvement as a key driver of the ranking jump. After struggling to stop the run and limit big plays earlier in the season, the Jaguars’ defense has tightened up: they’ve held opponents to 19.2 points per game over the last five weeks (down from 25.3 points in the first seven) and have recorded 12 sacks in that span. The Week 13 win over the Titans was particularly impressive on this front: they held Derrick Henry—one of the league’s most dominant running backs—to just 68 yards on 18 carries (3.8 yards per attempt) and sacked Ryan Tannehill three times. Pro Football Focus’ Sam Monson praised the defensive line’s performance: “The Jaguars’ edge rushers (Josh Allen and Travon Walker combined for two sacks against the Titans) have finally found their rhythm, and the interior defensive tackles are clogging run lanes consistently. That’s a huge shift from earlier in the season, when they were giving up 4.8 yards per rush.” However, analysts also noted a lingering weakness: the secondary still allowed one deep pass (a 42-yard completion to Titans wide receiver Treylon Burks) and has yet to shut down a top-tier passing offense. This “mixed bag” on defense is why the Jaguars haven’t climbed higher in the rankings—analysts want to see more consistency before placing them in the league’s top 10.

Analysts Break Down Jacksonville Jaguars’ Week 13 Power Ranking further explores how the Jacksonville Jaguars’ performance against divisional rivals has influenced their standing. The Jaguars are now 3-1 in AFC South play, with wins over the Titans (twice) and Houston Texans, and their only loss coming to the Indianapolis Colts in Week 6. Analysts see this divisional success as a critical factor in the ranking, as it shows the Jaguars can beat the teams they’ll need to outperform to win the division. ESPN’s Bill Barnwell explained: “Divisional games are weighted more heavily in power rankings because they’re a better indicator of playoff success. The Jaguars have proven they can win tough road games against divisional foes (like their Week 10 win in Houston), which is something they struggled with last season. That resilience matters when we’re evaluating how they’ll perform in a potential playoff game.” The Jacksonville Jaguars’ remaining schedule also plays a role in the ranking: they have three more divisional games (two against the Texans, one against the Colts) and matchups against non-contenders like the Las Vegas Raiders and Carolina Panthers. Analysts like CBS Sports’ Pete Prisco believe the Jaguars could climb even higher if they win those games: “If the Jaguars can finish 3-2 or better in their last five games, they’ll win the AFC South and could move into the top 10. But they need to avoid a letdown against the Raiders or Panthers—those are the kinds of games that can derail a team’s momentum.”

Analysts Break Down Jacksonville Jaguars’ Week 13 Power Ranking also includes a debate among analysts about the Jacksonville Jaguars’ ceiling. While most agree the team is a legitimate playoff contender, there’s disagreement about how far they can go in the postseason. Optimists like NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport point to the Jaguars’ young core (Lawrence is 24, Etienne is 25, Allen is 26) and their recent success against tough competition: “This is a team that’s getting better every week, and their best football is still ahead of them. Lawrence is playing like a guy who can lead a team to a Super Bowl, and the defense is starting to click. I wouldn’t be surprised if they make a run to the AFC Championship Game.” Pessimists, however, like Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio, caution against overreacting to the ranking: “The Jaguars are better, but they still haven’t beaten a top-10 team this season. Their wins have come against teams that are either out of playoff contention or struggling with injuries. Until they can beat a team like the Baltimore Ravens or Kansas City Chiefs, we can’t put them in the ‘elite’ category.” For the Jacksonville Jaguars, this debate is fuel for the fire: they have a chance to prove the skeptics wrong in Week 15 when they face the Chiefs in Kansas City. A win in that game could catapult them into the top 10 and silence the critics.

The final takeaway from Analysts Break Down Jacksonville Jaguars’ Week 13 Power Ranking is that the ranking is both a validation and a challenge for the Jacksonville Jaguars. It validates the progress they’ve made since the start of the season—from a team with a 3-4 record to a divisional contender—and confirms that national analysts are taking them seriously. But it also challenges them to maintain their momentum, fix their remaining weaknesses (like the secondary’s struggle with deep passes), and prove they can beat the league’s best teams. As head coach Doug Pederson noted in his post-Week 13 press conference: “Power rankings are nice, but they don’t win games. Our focus is on the next opponent, not where we stand on a list.” For the Jaguars, the Week 13 ranking is a stepping stone, not a destination. If they can continue to play with the same balance, discipline, and resilience they’ve shown in recent weeks, they’ll likely climb even higher in the rankings—and, more importantly, secure a playoff spot and a chance to compete for a Super Bowl. For now, though, the ranking is a reminder of how far they’ve come—and how much more work there is to do.