The Jacksonville Jaguars have been the dark-horse Super Bowl contenders for multiple media pundits, but after a 35-6 domination of the defending AFC Champion New England Patriots, the Jaguars are firmly seen as having real Super Bowl contention in this week’s power rankings roundup.
How the Jaguars are Rated on Power Rankings
- The Athletic’s Week 4 Power Rankings (Sept. 29, 2026): 10 (14th last week)
- ESPN’s Week 4 Power Rankings (Sept. 29, 2026): 10
- Sports Illustrated’s Week 4 Power Rankings (Sept. 29, 2026): 5
- Bleacher Report’s Week 4 Power Rankings (Sept. 28, 2026): 8
- NFL.com’s Week 4 Power Rankings (Sept. 29, 2026): 7
What Media Pundits Are Saying About the Jaguars
“The Jaguars have won 10 of Trevor Lawrence’s last 12 starts, and the No. 1 pick in the 2021 draft is finally playing like a franchise quarterback. Since mid-November, Lawrence has more touchdowns than any quarterback in the league (26) and the second-highest passer rating (106.5).” – Josh Kendall and Chad Graff
“With Parker Washington’s emergence and the reliability of Jakobi Meyers, the targets were expected to be spread out somewhat evenly among Jacksonville’s receivers. But Thomas had a great offseason and the Jaguars wanted to push the ball downfield more, so expectations were high for the WR40 in our preseason projections. Now, Thomas has just seven catches for 88 yards and no TDs. Rookie Josh Cameron (two TD catches) has earned almost equal playing time, too.” – Michael DiRocco
“Fourth in EPA per play on offense. Fourth in EPA per play allowed on defense. The only negative on the Jaguars’ resume right now is a difficult early-season cross country road trip to Denver. In short, the Jaguars are a legitimate contender that will only look better a month from now.” – Connor Orr
“For the second time in as many home games this year, the Jaguars completely dominated their opponent. Trevor Lawrence didn’t have a big day yardage-wise, but he threw three touchdown passes. Jacksonville averaged 4.6 yards a carry and found paydirt twice on the ground. The Jags converted eight of 12 third downs. And the team forced three turnovers. There is zero question that the Jaguars are the best team in the AFC South. With a trip to Cincinnati and a visit from the Eagles next up, the Jaguars have an opportunity to stake their claim as a legit Super Bowl contender as well.” – Gary Davenport
“What a nice get-right week for the Jaguars, who handled the Patriots with ease and even tousled their hair for good measure. Congratulations are in order for Travis Hunter, who recorded his first career interception amid a runaway win for Jacksonville.”
Time to Stake Your Claim
Outside of a Denver game where the offense ran out of juice against a good Denver defense on the road, the Jaguars have looked dominant. Jacksonville and Cincinnati are two of four teams ranked in the top ten in both EPA/play accumulated on offense and EPA/play allowed on defense. However, Jacksonville and the Kansas City Chiefs are the only two teams that are ranked top-five in both. This week is a prove-it week against a Bengals team that has been scratching and clawing its way back to its form in 2021, when they reached a Super Bowl. They seem to have figured out the defensive side enough for their dynamic offense to win them games. This will be Jacksonville’s second road test, and after failing the first one, they must find a way to pull this one out.
