Jaguars' Trevor Lawrence Explains Biggest Missed Opportunity in Week 1 Loss

Trevor Lawrence and the Jacksonville Jaguars were a half of football away from starting the season with a win against a very good Miami Dolphins team.

Sep 8, 2024; Miami Gardens, Florida, USA; Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence (16) looks on against the Miami Dolphins during the first quarter at Hard Rock Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-Imagn Images / Sam Navarro-Imagn Images

Trevor Lawrence and the Jacksonville Jaguars had the Miami Dolphins in the perfect position with minutes to go in the third quarter. 17-7 lead. Moving the ball well, a steady five-play drive that went the length of the field (second time on Sunday such a thing occurred).

The sixth play was on the Dolphins' 13-yard line. Travis Etienne shot through the A gap and was mere moments -- steps, from a touchdown when Jevon Holland punched the ball loose. And thus, the momentum shifted and soon a 17-7 lead was cut down to three points (the very next play, actually).

But that's the NFL. At least that is how Lawrence, who went 12 for 21 with 162 passing yards and a touchdown, described it to reporters after the game.

"In this game, this league, it's a game of momentum, and you have to be able to -- if you're on the good side of the momentum flip, you've got to be able to take it and run with it, which they did today," Lawrence said. "And if you're on the opposite side, you've got to be able to weather the storm and settle back in as quickly as possible. Seemed like we weren't able to do that. The next time we got the ball, like I said, real stagnant and just weren't getting many positives, and then had some bad sacks there at the end on me. I thought protection was really great all day, and those guys did a good job of getting me time.

"A couple of those were either coverage sacks or me trying to scramble into one. Yeah, it's just frustrating. You feel the momentum flip and you've got to be able to settle in. ... You've got to be able to recover from those things. It's football. It's the NFL. You're not going to blow many teams out. We had the opportunity coming out of halftime to go put some points on the board and really make it a 24-7 game. We didn't do that, and that would have been a big opportunity for us. But all these games are going to come down to one score, so you've got to be able to win at the end."

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