Week 1 looked like it was getting off to a great start for the Jacksonville Jaguars in the first half. They were out to a big lead over a high-powered offense and all things were pointing in the right direction for an early upset win. Quarterback Trevor Lawrence was looking every bit a quarterback worthy of the massive extension he got in the offseason. The addition of wide receiver Brian Thomas, Jr. looked like it was paying big dividends for the Jaguars offense.
Then things fell apart in the second half. Jacksonville was held scoreless in the second half, and their defense couldn’t contain the Miami Dolphins high-octane passing attack, letting wide receiver Tyreek Hill get loose for an 80-yard touchdown that turned the tide irrevocably. Still, despite the loss, the Jaguars are moving up in one NFL analyst’s latest power rankings.
Marcus Mosher of The 33rd Team has the Jaguars moving up two spots to 13 from their initial 15th spot. The Jaguars offense showed enough in a tough loss for Mosher to feel confident in the team moving forward, and the team gets a bit of a break next week. Week 2 sees the Jaguars taking on a dysfunctional Cleveland Browns team who is once again facing controversy with their starting quarterback, Deshaun Watson, after being named in yet another suit alleging sexual assault and battery.
If the Jaguars find a way to lose that game and fall to 0-2 to start the season, fans can likely expect a pretty precipitous drop in power rankings going forward, and a real struggle the rest of the season to fight for playoff contention. However, if they can right the ship against the Browns and get into the win column, they could climb into the top 10 and set themselves up for a successful season.
