Trevor Lawrence went to Jacksonville as the Jaguars‘ first-ever No. 1 overall pick. His plan to bring the Jags to relevance was derailed by Urban Meyer in Year 1, but things were supposed to turn around in 2022 with Doug Pederson.
Almost halfway through the season, Lawrence has shown the sort of linear progression you’d expect for such a heralded pick. The Jags are 2-6 after their 21-17 loss to Denver in London, and Lawrence knows his play must improve after a two-interception performance.
“I’ve got to play better, and I’ll leave it at that,” Lawrence told reporters after the game. “I didn’t play well enough today to win.”
Lawrence has thrown six interceptions this season. All six have come in the red zone or in the final two minutes of a one-score game.
Against Denver, Lawrence threw a terrible interception in the end zone, just 1 yard away from scoring in the second quarter. Later, trailing by four points with less than 2 minutes left in the game, the potential game-winning drive ended as soon as it started with an interception.
“We’re just going to continue to grow. We’re going to grow together,” head coach Doug Pederson said after the game. “I just told him to keep his head up, stay confident. I want to put the ball back in his hands and just show the trust that we have, that I have, in him and that the team has. He knows that we’ve got to be better in a few situations, but again, those are really good learning opportunities for Trevor.”
The Jaguars have yet to win a game this season when they commit a turnover. After going 2-4 in one-score games last year, the Jags are 0-6 in games decided by eight or fewer points.
And while Lawrence has been one of the league’s worst fourth-quarter quarterbacks, his play in the final four minutes of halves is most concerning.
In the final four minutes of the second and fourth quarters, Lawrence is 34-of-68 for 331 yards, one touchdown and three interceptions. Only rookie Kenny Pickett has thrown more interceptions. He’s also going for the big play, with only Aaron Rodgers attempting more throws of 15 plus yards in the air. And his 50.6 passer rating is the third-worst among qualified passers.
There shouldn’t have been realistic expectations of playoffs or bust for the Jaguars this year, but what the Jags and Lawrence are doing right now qualifies as below expectation.
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