Where We Ranked the Jaguars Heading into Week 6

The Jacksonville Jaguars beat the Indianapolis for their first win of the season. It took them until Week 5 to get over the hump. Where do they rank?

Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence (16) celebrates a touchdown scored by running back Tank Bigsby (4) during the third quarter of NFL football matchup Sunday, Oct. 6, 2024 at EverBank Stadium in Jacksonville, Fla. [Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Union] / Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Union / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The Jacksonville Jaguars finally secured win No. 1 and it was a testament to their coming together in the most critical of moments. It was a game with large-scale implications -- jobs were on the line and an owner's expectations and investment amplified the entire situation.

This was supposed to be the best team in franchise history on the verge of going 0-5 to start the season. Instead, they pulled out a 37-34 victory over their AFC South rival, the Indianapolis Colts, and improved to 1-4.

Head coach Doug Pederson, aforementioned hot-seat, described the key to the Jaguars' success: the big name players showing up for a full 60 minutes of football.

"That's what it's going to take, it's going to take that just week-in and week out because I shared with the team, we've been in, what, four one-score games already,  and so it's going to come down to the last four, five, six minutes of a football game," Pederson said. "That's when you need those best players, right? Your best players to really step up and really make an impact."

In Sports Illustrated's recent rankings, done by every On SI beat writer, the Jaguars ranked No. 29. Our Jaguars On SI beat writer, John Shipley, broke it down:

"The Jaguars found their first victory of the season thanks to career performances from Trevor Lawrence, Brian Thomas Jr., Tank Bigsby, and Travon Walker. If the Jaguars' young core can keep improving, they have a chance to salvage their season."

Salvaging a season will take more than big-time performances from individuals. It will require the best effort from the entirety of the team. The offensive line needs to continue to hold up and give Lawrence time. Being able to hold onto the ball longer will open up the deep ball.

This offense has the ability to go vertical when Lawrence has adequate protection, and it showed against the Colts. Lawrence connected on deep balls to Thomas and Christian Kirk. It changed the pace of the game. An up-tempo offense is in order, too.

On defense, the Jaguars need to remain stout up front and it helps that a return from star cornerback Tyson Campbell could come soon.

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