Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence has face his fair share of struggles this season. The whole team has, in fact. Head coach Doug Pederson will nonetheless take a game like Sunday’s performance over the New England Patriots and be happy.
He should. Lawrence did not post any eye-popping stats, or even numbers that are typical for him. His stat line — 15 of 20 for 193 yards and a touchdown, was more than enough.
Lawrence took care of the ball and facilitated efficiently. After all, he posted a passer rating of 121.5 and an elite QBR of 95. There is nothing wrong with being an effective game-manager, despite the negative connotation that term seems to carry among quarterbacks.
(Look no further than the Detroit Lions’ Jared Goff or San Fransisco 49ers’ Brock Purdy).
Pederson was asked about his quarterback’s recent performance on Monday, more specifically a question about whether Lawrence was “streaky” as a player. He defended his quarterback.
“It’s an interesting question. Let’s hope he’s streaky and he gets on a streak, right?” Pederson said. “I mean, that’s what we all hope for. I think too, he’s continuing to grow with what we’re doing and learning. You’ve got to understand it’s only his third year in this system and playing this position. So, he’s done a great job for us. Like I said, I hope if this is him getting on a streak, let’s keep it going. Let’s stay with the hot hand.”
Throughout this season, Lawrence has faced an unfair amount of criticism for his struggles and the team’s poor play. Such a thing is not uncommon in the sport of football — the quarterback position is the most important and thus they take the brunt of the criticism.
The truth is, Lawrence has had little help. Poor play-calling, an abysmal offensive line, and a defense that been weak at best.
The Sporting News’ Jarrett Bailey defended Lawrence after the London loss to the Chicago Bears.
“Lawrence has been far from perfect this season, but where has the support come from?” Bailey wrote . “Who is helping him succeed? And for everyone who wants to say ‘Well Patrick Mahomes does x, y, and z with bums at receiver.’ Yes, shocking development — not every quarterback is Patrick Mahomes. Nor does every quarterback have Andy Reid and one of the NFL’s best defenses to lean on.
“If you want to say that Lawrence hasn’t lived up to the lofty expectations placed upon him coming out of college, fine. But even then, this is still a guy who dragged the saddest sack of a franchise to a playoff berth and a playoff win in his second year, was beat to hell at the end of 2023 while still being asked to be Superman and just wasn’t given enough help to make it work. Now, that lack of help is still evident, and Lawrence is still expected to play Iron Chef and cook a five-star meal with ingredients that very few people could cook with.”
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