Jacksonville Jaguars cornerback Greg Newsome II (6) high-fives safety Antonio Johnson (26) for his interception during the fourth quarter of an NFL football matchup at EverBank Stadium, Sunday, Dec. 14, 2025, in Jacksonville, Fla. The Jaguars defeated the Jets 48-20. [Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Union] Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Union / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Power Rankings Round-Up: Jaguars Shoot Into Contenders Tier

Originally posted on Jacksonville Jaguars on SI
By Andy Quach | Last updated Dec 17, 2025 11:00 AM ET

The national media have done their best to ignore or dismiss the Jacksonville Jaguars throughout the 2025 NFL season. When the team jumped out to a 3-1 start, pundits wrote it off as luck, fueled by the defense notching a league-leading 13 takeaways in four games.

Then, they beat Patrick Mahomes and the reigning AFC champion Kansas City Chiefs on the Monday Night Football stage, but that was a fluke, too, highlighted by Trevor Lawrence's incredible stumbling touchdown scramble.

The detractors were vindicated when Jacksonville dropped two games in a row against the Seattle Seahawks and the Los Angeles Rams. Then, they had their fourth-quarter meltdown versus Davis Mills and the Houston Texans.

At that point, the media was determined to never take the Jaguars seriously again this year. But Jacksonville has forced their hands, rattling off five wins in a row to climb to the top of the AFC South and cement itself as a playoff threat.

Doug Engle/Florida Times-Union / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Jaguars did more than take care of business in Week 15

Even during the Jacksonville Jaguars' encouraging start to the season, they couldn't put together any complete blowouts against supposedly inferior competition. They had a comfortable win over the Carolina Panthers in the opener, but their offense left plenty to be desired. They needed overtime to get past the Las Vegas Raiders and the Arizona Cardinals, who have combined for just five wins this year.

That left room for people to doubt them still. But they've changed that as of late, and started doing what real contenders do: destroy bad teams. In their last three outings, the Jaguars have beaten the Tennessee Titans, Indianapolis Colts, and New York Jets by a total margin of 67 points.

Morgan Tencza-Imagn Images

Jaguars' Power Rankings after Week 15

CBS Sports: 5, Last: 6

NFL.com: 6, Last: 6

ESPN: 6, Last: 8

Yahoo Sports: 10, Last: 12

Yahoo Sports' Frank Schwab found a way to drop the Jaguars down in his power rankings last week, after their commanding win over the Indianapolis Colts, but even he can't deny how impressive they were over the Jets. One player stood out to him in particular, earning Jacksonville its rightful place in the top 10:

"The Jaguars get a bit of a move up, and it’s because of Trevor Lawrence. Over Jacksonville’s past three games, he has nine touchdowns and no interceptions. Is it possible that Lawrence is finally clicking with first-year head coach Liam Coen? It looked like it Sunday, when he became the first player in NFL history with five passing touchdowns, one rushing touchdown and 50-plus rushing yards. If Lawrence can maintain this level, the Jaguars will be a factor in the playoffs."

This article first appeared on Jacksonville Jaguars on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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