Trevor Lawrence Dazzles in Limited Action Against Cowboys
If the first two weeks of the preseason were growing pains for No. 1 overall pick Trevor Lawrence and the Jacksonville Jaguars, then Week served as the perfect tune-up showcase.
In three drives against the Dallas Cowboys' reserve defense, Lawrence threw more touchdowns (two) than incompletions (one) as he and the Jaguars' offense finally found some momentum and rhythm after two slower starts earlier in August.
Lawrence, who the Jaguars named the Week 1 starter earlier this week, had a flawless game against the Cowboys despite the Jaguars missing nearly their entire offense. He completed 11 of 12 passes (91.7%) for 139 yards (11.6 yards per attempt) for two touchdowns and zero interceptions, giving him a passer rating of 154.5.
Lawrence started off hot, finding Phillip Dorsett for a 38-yard vertical shot down the right sideline on the first drive of the game.
Lawrence and the Jaguars' offense marched down the field, with the drive eventually ending with Lawrence's first touchdown as a Jaguar: an 18-yard catch from Pharoh Cooper that capped off a five-play, 68-yard scoring drive.
Lawrence and the Jaguars punted on the second drive of the game after Lawrence and Collin Johnson failed to hook up on third-down, but the Jaguars let the starting quarterback hit the field for a third and final possession of the preseason.
Once again, Lawrence shined. Lawrence completed each of his five passes for 57 yards on his final drive, ending the seven-play series with a four-yard touchdown to Laviska Shenault in the left corner of the end-zone. '
After the Jaguars' generated just three points during the first two preseason games with Lawrence at the helm, the team's most important player showed up in a big way against the Cowboys' backup defense. Lawrence truly could not have played better, which is good news considering the season road opener against the Houston Texans is just 14 days away.
And the fact that Lawrence's big day game against the Cowboys' backups is rendered a bit moot when it is considered what the Jaguars started the game with. Jacksonville had more starters on offense than Dallas did on defense, but not by much.
Outside of Lawrence, the only other starters on the field were James Robinson, Jawaan Taylor, Chris Manhertz, and Laviska Shenault. The Jaguars were missing two starting receivers (DJ Chark and Marvin Jones) and four of their five starting offensive linemen.
Among the two starting offensive linemen who started for the Jaguars were left guard Tre'Vour Wallace-Simms and fourth-year offensive lineman Will Richardson at right guard. Wallace-Simms is the Jaguars' third-string guard, while Richardson has taken zero reps at guard during training camp.
But despite the lack of offensive line and starting weapons around him, Lawrence dazzled against the Cowboys in just three drives. The Jaguars wanted to score points and build momentum toward Week 1, and Lawrence did exactly that on Sunday afternoon.
