Postseason NFL power rankings

The Jacksonville Jaguars are AFC South champions, making them officially the best team in its division -- as well as one of the 14 best teams in the 2022-23 NFL season.

Here’s a look at national media power rankings entering the postseason.

NFL: 8

From Dan Hanzus:

Rayshawn Jenkins walloped Titans quarterback Josh Dobbs from behind, allowing Josh Allen to scoop up the loose ball and take it to the house for the deciding touchdown in a dramatic 20-16 win over the Titans. We’ll allow that it’s possible there’s been a moment in Jags history where TIAA Bank Field has been louder, but we have our doubts. The Jags are AFC South champs for the first time since 2017, and it’s easy to like their chances playing in front of their home crowd in Saturday night’s wild-card showdown with the Chargers. Trevor Lawrence vs. Justin Herbert is the type of playoff clash we can get used to as football fans.

The Athletic: 9

From Bo Wulf:

If you’re a Jaguars fan, you can wishcast for a postseason run like the Bengals had a season ago. Led by a quarterback coming into his own in Year 2 as a No. 1 overall pick, starting with a home game after winning a down division and playing with an improving defense. But while Trevor Lawrence has been really good — he ranks third in EPA per dropback and second in completion percentage since Week 9 — he hasn’t quite been at Burrow’s level from last season. Still, no team in the league without realistic Super Bowl aspirations should feel better about its 2022 season than Jacksonville.

Yahoo Sports: 9

The Ringer: 10

From Austin Gayle:

The Jaguars are 7-2 in their last nine games, but they opened as a 1.5-point home underdog despite beating their wild-card opponent, the Chargers, 38-10 in Los Angeles in Week 3. Jaguars head coach Doug Pederson put on a master class in offensive play-calling in their early-season demolition of the Chargers, and Trevor Lawrence had one of his best games of the year, with more than 250 passing yards, three touchdowns, and zero picks. Getting past the Chargers is well within reach for Jacksonville, but surviving the onslaught of the rest of the AFC is a tall order. As good as Lawrence has been this season, it’s hard to imagine him beating some combination of Herbert, Mahomes, Allen, and Burrow to get to the Super Bowl.

Bleacher Report: 11

CBS Sports: 11