14. Jacksonville Jaguars
At this point, I would say I’m extremely intrigued by the Jacksonville Jaguars, but I’m still not quite sold. The win against the 49ers on Sunday is impressive, but they haven’t exactly faced the same schedule as teams like the Chiefs or Ravens so far.
The Jaguars got wins against the Panthers, Texans, and now the 49ers to get to 3-1, and you can’t knock teams for beating who’s been in front of them. The Jaguars’ loss to the Jake Browning-led Bengals remains a major head-scratcher, but they have the pieces in place to make some noise in the AFC South.
The major question for the Jaguars right now is whether or not the play of this defense is for real. The Jags are getting other-worldly efforts these days from players like Devin Lloyd, who was almost considered a bust or trade candidate this past offseason. Lloyd already has three interceptions this season, including a pair against the 49ers. Jacksonville will get a great test next week when they host the Chiefs on Monday night.
13. Pittsburgh Steelers
The Steelers didn’t go over to Dublin on Aaron Rodgers’ preferred timeline, but they did get a timely big performance from Rodgers and the offense as they came away with a tight win against Carson Wentz and the Vikings.
And frankly, the Steelers aren’t going to scoff at getting a little bit of help from Wentz. They’re now 3-1 and well on their way to Mike Tomlin’s inevitable 9 or 10 wins this season, but they obviously have some issues. When you’re on the brink against a team being led by its backup quarterback, and a guy who hasn’t started much in the last couple of seasons, you’ve got to plan on playing in tight games pretty much every week.