Expectations are high when you’re a first round pick, especially when you’re in a go big or go home situation in Week 18
Jacksonville, FL– The Jaguars weren’t supposed to be here. 2 years removed after taking Clemson quarterback Trevor Lawrence with the first overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft, Jacksonville seemed poised to land themselves on one of the league’s ‘biggest disappointments’ lists. Sitting at 4-7 in the middle of the year after a shaky start to the season, it was hard to be a proponent for Lawrence.
The situation seemed dire for the Jaguars, another year with an abysmal season. For a team plagued by scandals, malfeasance, and in the public’s eyes, plain mishandling of the organization, the Jags couldn’t afford not to hit with Lawrence and the team they have attempted to build around him.
Last year, new coaching hire Urban Meyer was fired abruptly midway through the season for allegedly missing the team plane, instead staying at a bar and ‘inappropriately touching’ a woman who was not his wife. Along with that allegation, Meyer suffered from claims of physical abuse of his players, with kicker Josh Lambo accusing Meyer of ‘kicking’ him during pregame warmups.
That left the Jags with a 3-14 season, the worst in the NFL. Prior to that year, the Jaguars finished 1-15, infuriating and frustrating the fan base even more. As in any sport or any given season, there has to be the bad team. The team where you chalk it up to a ‘rebuild’ year and move on as the team gets better. For the Jaguars, two dismal seasons back-to-back cannot spell great news.
So, with analysts and experts almost ready to write Lawrence as another cog in the machine, he exploded.
This season, Lawrence has returned to his Clemson self, throwing for 3,901 yards, just 99 away from 4,000 in his second year on a severely under assisted Jaguars team. In 2022, Lawrence threw 24 touchdowns to only 9 interceptions, an improvement from his 2021’s 12 to 17 ratio just a year ago. Posting a 95.7 passer rating, Lawrence has made strides to be the best player he can be, and get the Jaguars in position for a possible playoff berth.
Facing up this Sunday against the Tennessee Titans, the Jaguars have gone 4-1 over the last 5 games, boasting impressive wins over teams like the Dallas Cowboys, New York Jets, and the Tennessee Titans. As the season comes to a close, the Jaguars are locked and loaded for a win-and-in showdown with their divisional foe Titans in Week 18 for a playoff spot.
The team that was the laughingstock of the league has turned around their fortunes and are red hot going into their Week 18 matchup against a reeling Tennessee team that has been streaky at best over 16 games. The Jaguars, who started the season 4-8, at a .333 win percentage, is now slated to take the 4th seed in the AFC playoff bracket.
More on the Tennessee game, the Titans are injury-riddled and battered, with only 5 out of 11 Week 1 starters on defense starting 17 weeks later. Career backup Joshua Dobbs is set to make his second career start on a team which has struggled to protect the quarterback. While it’s a win-and-in situation for both teams, if one was a betting man, it’s clear cut which team the house has.
“You don’t really know what you’re going to do,” Lawrence stated. “I think, especially when you’re playing a team for the second time [in one season], usually there’s some adjustments. You go off the tape you have and put together what you think is a good plan and make adjustments as the game goes on.”
The former Clemson Tiger is on a warpath of his own, on the verge of breaking various franchise records for the young club. As aforementioned, he’s only 99 yards away from becoming the 3rd 4,000 yard passer in Jaguars history. He’s 11 completions away from overtaking Blake Bortles… yes, Bortles in season completions, and Lawrence has a solid chance to break David Garrard’s record of 64.5 in 2010. Lawrence has never passed lower than a 51.5% rate all season.
