2018 NFL Power Rankings: Wild Card edition

11. Jacksonville Jaguars

10-6 (AFC South champions)

No. 3 Seed in AFC

Many waited and waited for this team to blossom and it finally happened this season. And even though the Jacksonville enter the postseason on a two-game skid, Doug Marrone’s club orchestrated quite a turnaround by more than tripling their win total from 2016.

How did they manage such a feat? A lot of credit goes to the NFL’s second-ranked defense, which harassed opposing quarterbacks to the tune of 55 sacks. The Jaguars also finished with 33 takeaways and returned seven of those opponent miscues for touchdowns (5 fumbles, 2 interceptions). The team allowed only 26 offensive touchdowns and only the Minnesota Vikings (252) gave up fewer points than Marrone’s club (268). And keep in mind that 44 of those points and five of those offensive TDs came in one wild afternoon at San Francisco.

Of course, when you compliment that kind of defensive performance with the NFL’s top running game, it adds up to a lot of good things. Rookie Leonard Fournette is the headliner on a club that managed 141.4 yards per game on the ground. Five players ran for 200-plus yards for this club, including quality reserves such as Chris Ivory (382) and T.J. Yeldon (253). And quarterback Blake Bortles chipped in with 322 yards and two scores.

Speaking of the often-criticized signal-caller, he finished the season with 21 TD passes and just 13 interceptions. But five of those picks came in the final two weeks. In any case, he was a much more efficient player than the previous year and he could be a wild card in this postseason.

Next: No. 10