By Jeff Moeller, Florida Sports Wire
JACKSONVILLE – The rout was necessary, and quarterback Trevor Lawrence played it out.
Jacksonville needed to dominate Tennessee this past Sunday at EverBank Stadium, and they did it with a 34-14 victory. It wasn’t an overwhelming victory, as the Jags ran up 398 total yards and allowed the Titans a total of 242.
But it sent a sense of reaffirmation to the Jaguars and their quarterback after their prior debacle to the 49ers. They needed to prove something to themselves and the league after San Francisco’s 34-3 assault knocked them down a few pegs.
This is a team that is among the top 10 in the league, and Lawrence falls into the same category among quarterbacks. Remember, this is only his third year in the league. If it wasn’t for the Jets beating the Rams in the final game of the 2020 season, Lawrence would be a Jet. And the Jags may have had Zach Wilson.
However, the football Gods did the Jags a favor. Lawrence didn’t progress early on as quickly as Patrick Mahomes, but Lawrence now is in the same lane. Through 46 games, he has an overall 20-26 record, but the team was 3-14 his rookie season.
He has arrived, and a Lawrence-Mahomes AFC championship game showdown has plenty of legs. It’s not just Lawrence, but the overall team should be in the conversation of a Super Bowl contender.
With the Chiefs’ loss Monday, they fell to 7-3 to match the Jags, Browns, and Dolphins. Baltimore is at 8-3 and the Ravens are good, notably their 15-point-a-game defense. Cleveland is the surprise with their “DTR” phenom (rookie quarterback Darien Thompson-Robinson), and their defense has issued a little over 15 points per game. You may be able to throw Buffalo back in the mix with their 6-5 record.
To me, the Jags are being disrespected. They often are listed as the sixth, seventh, or even lower based team in the league. This is a team that already has beaten Miami and Buffalo. They have Baltimore and Cleveland ahead to prove their point.
Pundits and prognosticators look at Lawrence and his teammates as a work in progress, rather than one that already has progressed.
Since Nov. 6, 2022, the Jags have an overall 15-6 record, and Lawrence has been a big part of it. Over that time, Lawrence has thrown 31 touchdowns and 12 interceptions.
This season, he has a modest 11 touchdowns and six interceptions, but he hasn’t had to carry the load. Travis Etienne’s development in the backfield to produce 12 to 20 carries a game, and Calvin Ridley’s recent seven-reception, 103-yard, tow touchdown effort was certainly a good sign. If Lawrence and Ridley can get into a weekly rhythm, it will significantly accelerate the process.
Lawrence looked confident and poised against the Titans, and he became the first franchise quarterback to throw and run for two touchdowns apiece in a game. He has a stout 24-of-32, 262-yard, two-touchdown performance, which was just what this team needed.
Etienne rushed for a modest 52 yards on 14 carries, and Tank Bigsby and D’Ernest Johnson were both able to get some necessary carries.
This weekend, Lawrence and his teammates will need to establish themselves once when they travel to Houston to meet a rising Texans’ team (6-4) that has won three straight behind rookie quarterback C. J. Stroud and are on the heels of the Jags.
A loss here could be devastating and give more fuel to the doubters.
Lawrence understands what’s at stake, and he has put his doubters behind him.
We’re sitting at 7-3, and in a great spot,” he stressed. “We’ve got to keep this energy and this attacking like we did today every week. We’ve got to finish this season. We have seven games left. A big one next week with Houston, playing really good football. All I care about is winning, so I don’t really care what people think I can or can’t do.”
For Lawrence, that’s all we could ask.
(SportsDay photo by Nancy DeLander Beecher/Florida Sports Wire)
