NFL Power Rankings, Week 14: Jaguars Take a Tumble After Lions Blowout
There aren't many different interpretations to the Jacksonville Jaguars' 40-14 blowout loss vs. the Detroit Lions in Week 13.
It wasn't just one of the most lopsided losses of the entire NFL season. It was the worst loss of the Doug Pederson era. It was only the second time in his career one of his teams allowed 40 or more points, and the Lions going 8-of-8 on scoring drives was the first time in four years that a team scored on every non-kneel down possession.
It was bad. It was a shock to the system after the Jaguars had an emotionally draining win against the Ravens just a week prior. And it may have been the knockout punch to the Jaguars' 2022 season.
“Oh, by far, yeah," Pederson said curtly on Monday when asked if the loss was the most frustrating of the season.
"Yeah, and quite frankly, the whole thing is frustrating. I think it was a culmination of a lot of things yesterday, not just defense but throw in the offense and everything. It’s something that we just got to continue to work at and continue to put these guys in positions. Of course, it’s on the player as well to understand their role and understand their job. Coaches have to look at it from, ‘Are we doing too much? Are we doing not enough?’ If we need to pull it back, we pull it back. There’s been too many little things that show up in games that shouldn’t be happening this late in the year.”
So, where do the Jaguars land in this week's power rankings after such an unspeakable loss? We break it down below.
No. 32: Houston Texans
The Houston Texans are going to take a quarterback No. 1 in a few months. The question is who?
No. 31: Denver Broncos
The Broncos' inability to score any points whatsoever, except vs. the Jaguars in London, has been remarkable.
No. 30: Chicago Bears
The Bears don't have any true building blocks on defense outside of Jaquan Brisker. Jalen Carter or Will Anderson as a Bear seems like a pretty good bet.
No. 29: Carolina Panthers
The Panthers are in such an odd place. Do they take a big swing at a head coach after the Matt Rhule debacle? Or run it back with Steve Wilks?
No. 28: Los Angeles Rams
The Rams potentially getting into the Baker Mayfield business seems perfectly on brand for their 2022 season.
No. 27: Arizona Cardinals
If the Titans can fire Jon Robinson right after his extension, why can't the Cardinals do the same to their brass?
No. 26: Indianapolis Colts
To say the Jeff Saturday experiment has gone exactly how everyone expected would be an understatement.
No. 25: New Orleans Saints
Dennis Allen looks so far in over his head that it is hard to see where the Saints even go from where.
No. 24: Jacksonville Jaguars
The Jaguars are what they are in 2022. They have a head coach who can scheme a good offense together and a good triggerman at quarterback, but the defense is getting bullied almost weekly.
No. 23: Atlanta Falcons
The Falcons feel like a bad re-run on TV. Just sim to the end of the season.
No. 22: Green Bay Packers
Aaron Rodgers' hair is unsettling. That is all.
No. 21: Las Vegas Raiders
Josh Jacobs deserves legit Offensive Player of the Year consideration. He has been that good.
No. 20: Pittsburgh Steelers
The Steelers can't get George Pickens the ball, which seems like a genuine predicament for those nearby.
No. 19: Washington Commanders
Washington is a gritty team with some really talented skill players and defenders, they just don't have the quarterback.
No. 18: New York Giants
The Giants' offense isn't going to be enough for them to make noise, but getting this many wins with their roster says a lot.
No. 17: New England Patriots
Bill knows he made a mistake with the offensive coordinator position, even if he won't admit it until after the season.
No. 16: Cleveland Browns
The Browns should feel horrible this week and all proceeding weeks.
No. 15: Detroit Lions
The Lions' offense is humming right now and it is hard to say that is going to change anytime soon.
No. 14: Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Tom Brady is going through it on nearly every possession and is still going to host a home playoff game.
No. 13: Los Angeles Chargers
The Chargers just do not seem like they are going to play as well as their roster says they should.
No. 12: New York Jets
Mike White seems OK. The defense is still very good. Will that be enough?
No. 11: Seattle Seahawks
Geno Smith winning a playoff game would be the best storyline in years.
No. 10: Baltimore Ravens
The Ravens are left for dead if Lamar Jackson misses much time. We will see.
No. 9: Tennessee Titans
Firing your general manager when you are just a few weeks away from clinching the AFC South title is ... a decision.
No. 8: Miami Dolphins
I do not think it is fair to say the Dolphins were exposed against the 49ers, but it did show their offense isn't going to put up video game numbers each week.
No. 7: Minnesota Vikings
The Vikings still seem like they are closer to average than good most weeks, but results are results.
No. 6: San Francisco 49ers
If the 49ers can make noise with Brock Purdy at quarterback, then the discourse will get very, very out of hand. Goodness.
No. 5: Cincinnati Bengals
The Bengals feel like a more complete team this year than they did during last year's Super Bowl run, which says a lot.
No. 4: Dallas Cowboys
The Cowboys look like the exact kind of team that is ready to make a run. They have the quarterback, the weapons, the defensive line. It is hard to dislike what they bring to the table.
No. 3: Buffalo Bills
The Bills should be expected to finish even better than they started this year. Even their poor games have mostly just been critical mistakes at the worst times.
No. 2: Kansas City Chiefs
The Chiefs can't get over the hump that is the Cincinnati Bengals, which will never make sense.
No. 1: Philadelphia Eagles
The Eagles completely dominated the Titans this week. They have looked good all year, but this week they looked like the best team in the NFL.
