The Jacksonville Jaguars are climbing fast in the NFL power rankings, and after another convincing win, the rest of the league is starting to catch up to what they’ve looked like for a month now.
Jacksonville’s 22-7 victory over the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 4 gave the team another strong entry point into this week’s roundup, and the Jaguars are now being treated like one of the AFC’s top teams. In this set of rankings, only the Seahawks are ahead of them, a placement that reflects how well Seattle has played to start the 2026 season despite its odd Week 3 loss to the Washington Commanders.
The Jaguars opened the season ranked No. 17 by ESPN, which now looks like a massive miss. Liam Coen has the Jaguars clicking on both sides of the ball, and their rise has been fueled by a stretch of wins over the Cleveland Browns, New England Patriots, and Bengals. That run has pushed Jacksonville into the conversation with the league’s best.
Still, not every ranking lined up cleanly with that view. The Minnesota Vikings were placed ahead of Jacksonville despite what the source called one of the worst offenses in the NFL, while the Chicago Bears also came in front after beating up on bad teams. The Bills were another team ranked ahead of the Jaguars, even after their Week 4 performance against the New England Patriots, and the Ravens also landed above Jacksonville in the pecking order.
The teams that are easier to justify ahead of the Jaguars are the ones at the very top. The Seahawks, Chiefs, and 49ers are the names the source points to as the only clear cases. Kansas City and San Francisco are both undefeated, and while Jacksonville beat both of them a year ago - including a road win over the 49ers - those clubs still sit above the Jaguars in this roundup.
Even with those teams ahead of them, the bigger picture is hard to miss: Jacksonville is no longer being overlooked. No power ranking has the Jaguars lower than No. 6, and several have them in the top three. That’s a sharp turn for a team that opened the year buried in the middle of the pack.
And for now, the Jaguars don’t sound interested in chasing approval anyway. Safety Antonio Johnson said Monday, “I don't think we really care about the credit. We're going to go into each week, and if you don't look at us as an imposing defense, then we're going to impose our will on you," Jaguars safety Antonio Johnson said Monday.
"If you don't respect us, then we're going to make you respect us. I know personally, in the rooms that I've talked to the players, we don't care about the respect.
You don't respect us, cool. We're going to make you respect us, so we're not even tripping about that.”
In Other News...
Jaguars Fans Just Landed Near The Top Of A Surprising NFL List
A Harvard study taking a look at the political leanings of NFL fan bases put Jacksonville in an interesting spot, with Jaguars fans ranking near the top of the league on the Republican side of the ledger. The research also found that this kind of split usually tracks with geography, which gives the results some added context beyond the football itself.
For Jaguars supporters, the finding is less about a game-day identity than a broader snapshot of the city and region around the team. The study also came with an especially notable contrast elsewhere around the league, as Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes has said he stays away from endorsing political candidates and instead encourages voter registration and independent decision-making. [Read more 🡒]
Bills Fans Will Feel Mitch Morses Heartbreaking Family News
Bills center Mitch Morse shared heartbreaking family news this week, announcing the death of his younger brother Robbie, who passed away last week at age 30. Robbie lived with lifelong disabilities after suffering severe brain trauma as an infant, a personal loss that quickly drew condolences from around the league, including from the Bills, the Jaguars and former teammates.
For Jacksonville fans, it is one more reminder of how closely connected this league can be, even across opposing locker rooms. Morse has long been one of the more respected voices in the AFC, and the response to his announcement reflected the kind of support players often lean on in moments like this, when football fades into the background and family comes first. [Read more 🡒]
Liam Coens Viral Transformation Has Jaguars Fans Loving This Start
Liam Coens first season in Jacksonville has already given Jaguars fans plenty to feel good about, and the conversation around the head coach has extended beyond the sideline. After overhauling his diet and workout routine, with encouragement from Hall of Famer Tony Boselli, Coen has lost about 50 pounds, and the before-and-after photos that surfaced online quickly became a talking point among fans who are already enjoying the teams fast start.
The weight-loss buzz only adds to the broader momentum around a Jaguars team that finished 13-4 and captured the AFC South in Coens debut season. Jacksonville has also backed up the optimism with recent wins over the Bengals and Patriots, leaving the fan base focused on how far this run can go while Coens transformation continues to draw attention of its own. [Read more 🡒]