Power Rankings Round-Up: Jaguars Begrudgingly Boosted After Week 5

Jaguars shut out from top tier

Power rankings can be a mixed bag, depending on who's doing the placements and what their definition of them is. Some would say that it's purely a reflection of the current situation in a vacuum, regardless of preconceived notions or future outlook.

Others believe that it should be based on a broader scope, a prediction of which teams are the most likely to win it all at season's end, determined by several different contextualizers. In the latter approach, it's hard not to discount the Jacksonville Jaguars, due to their recent franchise history as well as the few remaining questions surrounding their current team.

Jaguars' Power Rankings

In the same week that the Jaguars toppled Patrick Mahomes and the reigning AFC champion Kansas City Chiefs, several other supposed top contenders showed their vulnerabilities. The Buffalo Bills were upset by the New England Patriots, and the Philadelphia Eagles also took their first loss of the season to the Denver Broncos.

The Los Angeles Chargers were blown out by the Washington Commanders, 27-10, amid a flurry of injuries, including a decimation of their offensive line. The Los Angeles Rams couldn't take care of business against backup quarterback Mac Jones and fell to the San Francisco 49ers in overtime, 26-23. Yet, Jacksonville was still listed a level below all of the perceived elite teams this season.

Yahoo Sports: 8, Last: 12 (+4)

CBS Sports: 8, Last: 12 (+4)

NFL.com: 11, Last: 13 (+2)

ESPN: 12, Last: 14 (+2)

NFL.com's Eric Edholm outlined the hesitancy to anoint the Jaguars:

"They’ll be talking about Monday night for a while down in Duval. The Jaguars roared back from the slow start and mounted one of the more important drives of Trevor Lawrence’s career to win it. We got the entire Lawrence experience on that drive alone. The former No. 1 overall pick was up and down Monday, with his legs bailing him out of some bad spots, but he also had two critical turnovers."

"Even on the game-winning drive, Lawrence took a bad sack and a delay of game penalty, and things weren’t looking pretty. Nor did his TD run, which started with Lawrence on his keister. What an incredible and absurd play. The Jaguars are just a fun team right now, with Devin Lloyd’s 99-yard pick-six completely shifting momentum their way. Without it, I doubt Lawrence gets his glory drive to win it."