Jacksonville enters the 2021 season with basically nowhere to go but up. The team cratered to rock bottom last season with a franchise-worst 1-15 season that landed the franchise the first overall pick for the first time. The Jags used that pick to select the quarterback of the future in Trevor Lawrence, who they hope will lead the team on an ascent not dissimilar to what former No. 1 pick Andrew Luck did as a rookie in Indianapolis.
But the Jaguars have bigger holes than just the quarterback position, and it’s shaping up to be a rebuilding year in Jacksonville. The team will hope to surprise some folks and possibly be a dark-horse playoff contender late into the season, but not many expect that to be the case.
In his latest NFL power rankings, USA TODAY Sports’ Nate Davis had the Jags falling one spot from where they were in the previous rankings from No. 28 to No. 29.
29. Jaguars (28): Who navigates the rookie learning curve better, Urban Meyer or Trevor Lawrence? The No. 1-drafted quarterback seems to be setting the early pace.
Indeed, both Lawrence and Meyer will be adjusting to the NFL game this season, and a learning curve is to be expected. But with that being said, this is a much more talented roster than last year’s was, and though holes remain, they’re much less pronounced than they were a season ago.
Jacksonville’s season begins with a game against one of the few teams ranked below it when it takes on the Houston Texans on Sunday. The Texans retained the bottom spot on these rankings, and they’re widely considered to have the worst roster in football.
A win in that game wouldn’t be a massive statement, but it would likely send the Jags up a few spots on the next edition of Davis’ power rankings.