NFL Power Rankings, Week 7: Jaguars' Good Times Officially End After Loss to Colts

The Jaguars are back to familiar territory in this week's power rankings.

The Jacksonville Jaguars were in a much different place three weeks ago. 

Fresh off a West Coast romping of the Los Angeles Chargers, the Jaguars were sitting at 2-1 and looking like the team to beat in the AFC South. But the last three weeks have each brought a one-possession loss, dropping the Jaguars to 2-4 and just 1-2 in AFC South play.

“It's hard. It's hard to win. Every team is good, so it's -- I've known how hard it is to win, especially after last season," Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence said on Sundat after the 34-27 loss to the Colts. 

"We had some close games. Some that weren't so close. All those things. It's hard to win. You got to play well. You're not going to luck into any wins in the NFL. You got to play a complete game, offense, defense, special teams, and you can't let up at all, you can't take a breath."

With the Jaguars now on a three-game skid, where do they land in this week's power rankings? 

32: Carolina Panthers (0)

The 2022 Carolina Panthers are white noise. They do not exist. Any stats against them comes with an asterisk, and every loss to them should sound as two losses.

31: Chicago Bears (-2)

The Bears don't have enough talent on defense and the offense is an unmitigated disaster at every position group. They are just a bad team to watch.

30: Washington Commanders (0)

The Commanders beat the Bears in an absolute slopfest, but it took a muffed punt for them to do even that. With a backup quarterback now on the docket, the Commanders seem destined for a top pick.

29: Pittsburgh Steelers (+2)

The Steelers got a much-needed win against Tampa Bay, but it still feels like they don't have a quarterback on the roster who can consistently win games week in and week out.

28: Houston Texans (0)

Houston won its bye week by firing the most unqualified man in football. Good for them, and good for Lovie Smith for stuffing Jack Easterby in a locker throughout his tenure as head coach.

27: Denver Broncos (0)

The biggest bullet the Jaguars have dodged in years is Nathaniel Hackett. The Broncos are wasting a great defense because his epic Will Ferrell impersonations don't actually do anything when it comes to football.

26: Arizona Cardinals (-9)

There is nothing good about Arizona Cardinals football right now. The offense is a mess with a scheme that frankly doesn't belong in the NFL, and the defense is built entirely out of vibes and nothing more.

25: Detroit Lions (0)

We will see if the Lions have learned how to get out of their own way and finally win close games after the bye week, but they are bad until they are not.

24: Las Vegas Raiders (0)

Las Vegas' bye week has been dominated by the headlines of the dumbest Monday Night Football incident in recent memory, but it has at least helped shield the fact that they are a below-average team.

23: Indianapolis Colts (+3) 

The Colts ran crossing routes so much against the Jaguars that legend has it Michaell Pittman Jr. is still running back and forth between the hash marks. The Colts aren't a very good team, but they do have a small group of talented players.

22: Jacksonville Jaguars (-6)

The Jaguars' offense got back on track against a defense that has been hot in recent weeks, with Trevor Lawrence having a mistake-free day and the running game dominating. Unfortunately for the Jaguars, the defense allowed four touchdowns and a field goal on the final drive of the game, showing the Jaguars still aren't a complete team.

21: New England Patriots (+2)

Bailey Zappe is outplaying Mac Jones and that is just fantastic on so many levels.

20: New Orleans Saints (-1)

The Saints just feel like an average team in 2022. Some weeks will go well, some weeks won't, but ultimately they are kind of just there, serving as background noise.

19: Seattle Seahawks (+1) 

Kenneth Walker is going to be an absolute stud for the Seahawks' offense, and the defense was able to have a much-needed bounceback week against the Cardinals. 

18: Tennessee Titans (+3)

The Titans had a bye this week, but they feel like the best team in the AFC South right now with the Jaguars failing to take the next step.

17: Los Angeles Rams (-3) 

The Rams beat a terrible Panthers team this weekend, but they didn't exactly look like an unstoppable force. This is one of the weakest rosters of the Sean McVay era.

16: Cleveland Browns (-4)

The Browns' defense is offensive. They have acted like run defense doesn't matter, giving them a weak spine at defensive tackle and linebacker, and the secondary that is supposed to be their strength just got toe-tagged by Bailey Zappe.

15: New York Jets (+7) 

My hot take of this season? The Jets would be a top-6 team and easily the third-best team in the AFC if Frank Gore never picked up that first-down in 2020 and lost Trevor Lawrence. They are a fun team that just feels like it is consistent quarterback play away from taking off.

14: San Francisco 49ers (-6) 

The 49ers look like a dominant force some weeks and then have weeks like Week 6 where they look closer to an edition of football follies. 

13: New York Giants (+2) 

I have zero reason to believe the Giants are actually this good, but 5-1 is 5-1. They will be a tough out for the Jaguars next weekend.

12: Atlanta Falcons (+6) 

Arthur Smith has been in his play-calling bag as of late. If he can find a quarterback of the future, nobody will want to play the Falcons. 

11: Miami Dolphins (0)

Are the Dolphins good? Who knows, but before they started losing a quarterback every other quarter, it looked like they might have been.

10: Cincinnati Bengals (+3)

The Bengals are finally getting explosive plays back on offense, which was the missing key over the first five weeks.

9: Green Bay Packers (-2)

Is Aaron Rodgers finally washed? It looks like it, which is a shame because they have a legitimately fun running back duo and one of the most talented defenses in the NFL.

8: Dallas Cowboys (+1)

They lost to the Eagles because Cooper Rush isn't an NFL quarterback, but the fact the game was close at all is a good sign for them as Dak Prescott returns.

7: Tampa Bay Buccaneers (-2)

Tampa Bay needs an explosive running back to center their offense around. They look like they could tumble quite a bit as the season draws on.

6: Minnesota Vikings (+4)

They would be the weirdest 5-1 football team ever if the New York Giants didn't exist.

5: Los Angeles Chargers (+1)

Justin Herbert looked a bit off on Monday Night Football and still made several jaw-dropping throws. They are going to be just fine.

4: Baltimore Ravens (0)

The Ravens beat themselves vs. the Giants, which has sadly been a continued issue this season.

3: Kansas City Chiefs (0)

The Chiefs will see the Bills again, likely in the AFC Championship game. Anyone who saw that elite game on Sunday and is listening to narratives that are down on them needs to go to the ear, nose and throat department and get their hearing checked.

2: Philadelphia Eagles (0)

The Eagles offense looks like the most annoying offense to defend in the NFL right now, which is a high compliment. 

1: Buffalo Bills: (0)

Josh Allen has improved more than any other football player in NFL history. Prove me wrong!