Week 5 NFL Power Rankings Roundup: Jaguars Keep Climbing Toward AFC's Elite

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- The Jacksonville Jaguars are stacking wins, and they are continuing to rise in the power rankings as a result.

After last week's impressive 22-7 win over the Cincinnati Bengals, the Jaguars have plenty of shine to them moving forward. When checking out this week's power rankings roundup, it is clear the Jaguars are quickly becoming one of the AFC's favorites.

Sports Illustrated: No. 2 (+3)

The Jaguars are only behind the Seahawks in these power rankings, which is hard to deny after the success the Seahawks got against the Jaguars in 2025. The Seahawks have been terrific once again to start the 2026 season despite an odd loss to the Washington Commanders in Week 3, and the Jaguars can confidently say there are not many teams better.

ESPN: No. 5 (+5)

A reminder that the Jaguars were ranked No. 17 at the start of the season for ESPN. What a swing and a miss, with the Jaguars now looking like one of the true powers of the AFC. Liam Coen is pushing all of the right buttons for the Jaguars on both sides of the ball, and they have earned their big rise in these rankings.

CBS: No. 5 (+2)

The Jaguars should be No. 4 on here. The Minnesota Vikings, to me, have zero possible explanation for being ranked above the Jaguars. They have one of the worst offenses in the entire NFL, and it is worth a debate as to whether their defense is any better than Jacksonville's considering the difference in quality of quarterbacks faced.

FOX Sports: No. 6 (+4)

The Chicago Bears keep beating bad teams, which has earned them a spot over the Jaguars here. They get some credit for Caleb Williams being out, but not enough to rank them over the Jaguars right now.

The Athletic: No. 6 (+4)

The Bills over the Jaguars after their performance against the New England Patriots in Week 4 seems .... odd.

NFL.Com: No. 6 (+1)

The Buffalo Bills are one spot behind the Jaguars, which could say it all when it comes to the Jaguars' spot in the AFC pecking order. The Baltimore Ravens are ahead of the Jaguars, which will be sorted out later this season.

Yahoo: No. 4 (+3)

The expected teams are in front of the Jaguars here: the Seattle Seahawks, Kansas City Chiefs, and San Francisco 49ers. Those are the only teams I think you can semi-justify when it comes to putting them above the Jaguars after the first month.

Pro Football Talk: No. 3 (+2)

Only the Chiefs and 49ers, who are both undefeated, are ahead of the Jaguars in these rankings. Those are tough to argue against, even though it is worth considering the Jaguars beat both of them a year ago -- including a win over the San Francisco 49ers on the road. The Jaguars are in a proper spot in these rankings.

In short, the Jaguars are starting to get the respect they deserve. No power ranking has the Jaguars below No. 6, and they are ranked in the top-3 more than once. The Jaguars have proved their mettle through the first month of the season, with impressive wins against the Cleveland Browns, New England Patriots, and the Cincinnati Bengals. Now, it appears people have caught up.

With that said, do not expect the Jaguars to hone in on any additional respect, or any perceived lack of it, over the course of the next few weeks. The Jaguars used it as a rallying cry a year ago, but it certainly appears the Jaguars have accepted that they are simply a good team with very little to prove to anyone.

“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.”

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