Big Cat Country
As Week 16 approaches, we rounded up the latest NFL power rankings to get a sense of how the Jaguars are viewed nationally.
Any outside observations are especially interesting after Liam Coen’s comments from the postgame podium in Week 14.
“This was a big game in a lot of ways, and I think our guys have responded in so many ways in these big games, right? You look at Kansas City, San Francisco, some of those moments where I think they ultimately always kind of feel disrespected, and that’s something that continues to feed our team.
“I don’t know if we’ll ever really get it [respect]. That’s the beauty of it. It ain’t coming. You know that. It’s not. And that’s the beauty of it. And that’s totally fine. It’s one of those things that I think the group right now — Houston was good for us. I do believe that. The end of Houston was good for us. To know that each game is going to be a 60-minute football game and our mindset and mentality has to be that way.”
How much respect did the Jaguars earn for their Week 15 thumping of the Jets? Let’s find out.
They have won five straight games as Trevor Lawrence is playing the best football of his career. They face a big one this week at Denver.
From Mike Florio:
Beat the Broncos on Sunday, and they’ll get all the respect they can handle. And then some.
From Mike DiRocco:
Extension candidate: Wide receiver Jakobi Meyers
Meyers has been the Jaguars’ leader in catches (27) and receiving yards (355) since the team acquired him via trade from the Raiders on Nov. 4. He’s in the last year of a three-year, $33 million contract, and the Jaguars want him back as he has become quarterback Trevor Lawrence ‘s most trusted receiver, especially in the middle of the field. The 29-year-old had a career-high 1,027 receiving yards with Las Vegas in 2024.
From Eric Edholm:
The Jaguars have ripped off five straight wins, and they did so emphatically on Sunday by building a 31-10 halftime lead and continuing to pour it on in the second half against the helpless Jets. Trevor Lawrence engineered his finest statistical outing ever, accounting for six touchdowns himself and leading only three empty drives all game. Lawrence got hot in the latter half of the 2022 season to lead the Jags into the playoffs, and he’s on a similar heater now. This coming Sunday’s matchup against an even hotter Broncos team should provide Jacksonville the kind of playoff-caliber matchup it needs, and these two teams could meet again in January, for all we know.
From Nate Davis:
Everyone expected Trevor Lawrence to be a generational performer … it just took until Sunday...
