After two consecutive 9-9 seasons, the Jacksonville Jaguars are under pressure to overcome the hurdle and solidify their place in the AFC pecking order.
To do this, the Jaguars must exceed most external expectations. In ESPN’s latest Power Rankings, the Jaguars are ranked 14th – one place lower than after the 2024 NFL Draft.
In the rest of the AFC South, the Houston Texans are ranked 6th, the Indianapolis Colts are ranked 18th, and the Tennessee Titans are ranked 24th. The Jaguars are ranked 8th in the AFC.
For the Jaguars to climb up this ranking over the course of the season, they will need a year of improved offensive performance and a year of resurgence from new defensive coordinator Ryan Nielsen.
“It’s always an ongoing process. You always want to make one play better, one game better. We’re working on the things we need to fix, we’re tweaking them a little bit – maybe not necessarily fixing them – but we’re tweaking them and continuing to improve the guys’ fundamentals,” Nielsen said Tuesday.
“I feel like they’re doing a great job, the players, our coaching staff, those guys that are working in the meetings and stuff and picking up on things. The walk-through was fantastic today. Those guys were fully engaged, really focused and excited about the direction it’s going in terms of the whole combination of everything. We’re going to keep pushing every day.”
The Jaguars have a chance to earn respect across the NFL if they finish with a win against the Miami Dolphins in Week 1. The Dolphins are ranked No. 8 in ESPN’s Power Rankings.
“Well… maybe we have, maybe we haven’t,” Nielsen said when asked if the defense had started to look ahead to Miami. “But yeah, we’ll take care of them when the time comes. We’re focused on Atlanta and winning this game.”
