NFL Power Rankings 2019: Post-mandatory minicamp edition
By Randy Gurzi
20. Jacksonville Jaguars (24)
The surprise team of the NFL in 2017 was the Jacksonville Jaguars. The defensively-dominant team became a force in the AFC as they controlled the clock on offense and slowed opponents down on defense. They rode this formula all the way to the AFC title game and even had a lead over the New England Patriots. They ended up not being able to hold the lead and had to watch the Super Bowl at home like everyone else.
2018 was a different story. The offense took a step back and the defense started to crack under all the pressure. The end result was a 5-11 mark which landed them in last place in their division. — and they were also the only AFC South team to have a losing record.
Jacksonville hopes to have fixed their biggest issue this year as they went out and signed Nick Foles to a big contract in the offseason, and released Blake Bortles as well. While Foles is an upgrade, the offense didn’t do much else.
They still need some pass catchers as Marqise Lee and Dede Westbrook are their top receivers. They did add two new tight ends in Geoff Swaim and rookie Josh Oliver, but it looks as though the defense will still have to do the majority of the heavy lifting.