Heading into the by week, the Jacksonville Jaguars can hold their heads high for once after a much needed win against the Indianapolis Colts in London. The ramifications of the win are seen in power rankings around the web.
Flying to London last Thursday, Jacksonville Jaguars head coach Gus Bradley was probably thinking quite a bit about what would happen if his team lost their week 4 game to the Indianapolis Colts. Starting this season, one filled with so much hope beforehand, with an 0-4 record would have likely been too much to overcome.
Luckily the Jaguars brought a good effort to Wembley Stadium and managed to outlast the Colts. Despite their best efforts, the Jaguars couldn’t give the game away in the 4th quarter. It wasn’t a pretty win by any means, but the Jaguars just needed to get in the left-column to build some confidence.
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Here’s a brief collection of some rankings around the web as the Jaguars take an early bye in week 5:
The Jaguars still have yet to win a game on American soil, but a win is a win. Jacksonville topped the underperforming Colts in London, likely saving Gus Bradley’s job for now. Allen Robinson still has yet to post a breakout performance, but he does have three touchdowns in his past two games.
Nice-size jump for the 1-3 Jaguars. Why? Well, being surrounded by the cruddiest teams in the league makes it easier to move. While Allen Robinson got in the end zone during Sunday’s win over the Colts, and Allen Hurns produced a big gain — bringing back memories of the halcyon days of 2015 — it was the defense that made the plays to win the game. Other than a blown coverage on the Phillip Dorsett touchdown, time and again, the Jacksonville defense came up with stops. And even on the Dorsett play, Jacksonville didn’t just goof up; the defense really gave you your money’s worth — he was open by 30 yards. So, basically, the Jags do everything well.
8,532: It’s about an 8,532-mile round trip from Jacksonville to London, but maybe the Jags should consider doing it more? The Jaguars are 2-0 in London the past two seasons, 3-6 in Jacksonville and 1-8 in road games.
My take:
As expected, the Jaguars got a slight bump in the power rankings after a modest win against a seemingly awful Colts team. Logic dictates the Jaguars should be ranked higher than the Colts (same record with a head-to-head win), but I don’t fault anyone who ranks the two teams at the same level. The Jaguars have more overall talent but significantly worse quarterback play at the moment. They shouldn’t move too much this week with no game, but the next 3 games will really show whether or not anyone should take the Jaguars seriously.
