Overlooked Quality That Makes Jaguars' Lawrence Special

The Jacksonville Jaguars needed their franchise quarterback to win on Sunday. Head coach Doug Pederson discussed how Trevor Lawrence's approach allowed for a crucial game-winning performance.

Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence (16) throws the ball during the second quarter of an NFL football matchup Sunday, Oct. 6, 2024 at EverBank Stadium in Jacksonville, Fla. The Jaguars edged the Colts on a field goal 37-34. [Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Union] / Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Union / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The Jacksonville Jaguars needed quarterback Trevor Lawrence to perform like they knew he could ($275 million says they expect the best from him) against the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday in order to avoid an 0-5 hole.

He performed well. The Jaguars won, 37-34. Lawrence was 28 of 34 passing for 371 yards and two touchdowns and a passer rating of 119.5. It was one of the strongest games of Lawrence's career and by far the best game he had played thus far in 2024.

Despite struggling through the first four games of season, with issues spanning poor communication to execution, head coach Doug Pederson said Lawrence has the same approach every day.

"Honestly. I didn't really see anything other than him working through some of the issues that we've had the first month of the season," Pederson told reporters Sunday. "And, listen, Trevor's a professional, and he's our guy, and we continue to help him and support him and do everything we can for him. I think he just has to understand that we're going to do that, right? And as a quarterback, you just go out and do your job. And he did that today. He ran the offense, and he saw the field well. Gosh, there were some big throws in there. So, I think it was just a great effort by everybody. But to me, Trevor was the same guy he's always been.”

One of the noticeable differences from previous games was the Jaguars' ability to create explosive plays. This was facilitated by Lawrence's effectiveness with the deep ball, a point of emphasis this season when the Jaguars' were struggling.

The answer was the Lawrence-to-Brian Thomas Jr. connection, which accounted for 122 yards and a touchdown.

"Felt good to connect on some of those this week," Lawrence said. "Felt like we had a great plan, and we had some opportunities for those shots. And kind of worked out, got the right looks. The guys did a good job on the outside winning, playing fast, and obviously putting the ball where it needed to go. With Brian's, we kind of put their zone defenders in a bind there. They chose wrong. We had Brian over the top. Something that we had a good plan for and took advantage of it. So, credit to him for finishing the run."

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