NFL Power Ranking Preseason Edition: NFC only gets better

Jacksonville has made an incredible turnaround as an organization, posting their best season in a decade with a 10-6 record and an AFC Championship appearance. Their offense went from 25th in points to 5th, while their defense finished second in points and yards allowed.

It’s rare to see a team this good perform well at this level when their greatest weakness is the most important position in all of sports. Blake Bortles got the job done last year despite his “limited” abilities and the loss of his number one receiver Allen Robinson.

Bortles got by last year despite not having his best statistical season by most calculations. He did complete a career-high 60.2 passes, but the number that sticks out are the sacks. Jacksonville finally fortified themselves up front, and Bortles was sacked only 24 times, this coming off of three years where he was sacked an average of 47 times.

Having Leonard Fournette was a great help as well with the rookie running back rushing for over 1,000 yards. With Andrew Norwell added to the line this offseason we could see even more production from Fournette and even more time for Bortles without the fear of being sacked 47 times.

But every football fan knows the bread and butter of Jacksonville’s success is their defense. Constantly picking at the top of the draft, Jacksonville assembled a talented core of playmakers and supplemented them with veterans through free agency.

Having Myles Jack, Jalen Ramsey, Dante Fowler, Yannick Ngakoue, and now Taven Bryan on rookie deals has allowed them to pursue bigger fish. That means Calais Campbell, Marcell Dareus, A.J. Bouye, Barry Church, Malik Jackson, and Tashaun Gipson can be affordable plug and play options to build the best defense in football.