NFL power rankings: Where all teams stand approaching Week 1 of 2024 season

10. Jacksonville Jaguars

There is a lot to like with the Jacksonville Jaguars roster on both sides of the ball.  The team went 9-8 in the 2023 NFL Season, making it two years in a row they’ve finished with that record.  To the franchise’s credit, they have stabilized a bit, but 2023 felt like a regression year.  Trevor Lawrence was not as productive statistically, but much of that was due to his play-makers dropping passes or simply running the wrong routes.

You have to figure that an improved WR room that features Christian Kirk, Brian Thomas, and Gabe Davis can make life easier for Lawrence.  The running back room lead by Travis Etienne again figures to be great, and their defense certainly has a ton of extremely talented players as well.  They’re coached by Doug Pederson, who has won a Super Bowl before, so at this point, no one is getting in the Jags way of being great but themselves.

They have mostly everything they need, but I would argue that their offensive line still needs a bit of help. 

9. Miami Dolphins

The Miami Dolphins are another team that has just about all they need to make a deep playoff run in the AFC.  Their most notable story this offseason was getting a contract extension done with Tua Tagovailoa.  They also signed WR Odell Beckham in free agency, but he’s hardly been on the field for the Dolphins.

Defensively, they added a good bit this offseason but did lose defensive tackle Christian Wilkins in free agency.  Miami has been a very good team over the first two years of the Mike Macdonald era, but their weird inability to play when the weather gets a little cold is truly what holds them back.

They are actually my pick to win the AFC East this season, as I believe they will just barely do enough to capture the division title.  Can Miami rise into that next tier of elite AFC teams in 2024?