The Jacksonville Jaguars squeezed out an unlikely win on Sunday against the Chicago Bears, making them a tough rank in this weeks power rankings.
The Jacksonville Jaguars finally showed up in the 4th quarter of a game last Sunday, scoring all 17 of their points in the final 15 minutes to clinch a win over the Chicago Bears. It was ugly and not particularly impressive given the quality of the opponent, but it was an important game for a team that badly needed to win a close game.
Since the Bears are arguably the worst team in the league, it’s not surprising to see the Jaguars not given a big bump in terms of national perception after a narrow win.
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Here’s a brief collection of some rankings around the web as the try to extend their win streak to 3 (!!!):
The Jaguars started out Sunday’s game looking like a lethargic team with no motivation. It was particularly shocking considering they were coming off of a bye. The offense came alive late and won it on a fortunate play by Arrelious Benn where the defender fell. Jalen Ramsey, on the other hand, looked like a stud, making a game-sealing pass breakup.
How many people — Jags fans, even — knew that Arrelious Benn was still in the league? The guy who, until this season, hadn’t played in a regular-season game since 2012, and had caught just two passes for 10 yards all year, made perhaps the play of the year for Jacksonville on Sunday in Chicago. Benn’s 51-yard catch-and-run saved the day for the Jaguars. And it came after three stints on IR, and five years after his last touchdown reception in the NFL. Good for him.
32: The Jaguars are constantly playing from behind which (*spoiler alert*) makes winning difficult. Case in point: Blake Bortles has attempted only 32 passes with a lead this season, and 30 of those came in a Week 4 win against the Colts. His 8.7 first-quarter QBR doesn’t help matters.
My take:
Outside of ESPN (who already had the Jaguars quite low at 30), all the rankers above actually dropped the Jaguars a spot or two after their win. It’s not unexpected since the Bears are atrocious and the Jaguars barely won, but it’s still a little bit surprising. What will be interesting to see is what happens if the Jaguars somehow pull off a win against Jack Del Rio and the Oakland Raiders this Sunday. Most of the national media are seemingly convinced the Jaguars are not good and Blake Bortles is bad, and that will make it hard to reconcile a 3-3 record if the can get there.
