Jaguar Report

The Ascension of Trevor Lawrence in 4 Chapters

From the Urban Meyer era to his current streak of dominance, Trevor Lawrence has always shown one thing: He is who Jacksonville needs under center.

Ryan Michael

We are now 15 games into the 2022 NFL season and there is a lot to be excited about in Jacksonville.

The No. 1 overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft, Trevor Lawrence, has been on a roller coaster ride with perception evolving from generational prospect, to potential bust, to reclamation project, to seesaw superstar, to bonafide stud.

Lawrence would tell you, "I've always been this guy."

It's tough to argue with a man who has led two 17-point comebacks and won five of the last seven in route to becoming—quite literally—an avatar.

The story of Trevor Lawrence's ascension is best told in four chapters. There have been plenty of highs and plenty of lows, but the one constant has always been an upward trajectory.

Chapter 1: Urban Meyer

  • Games: #1-13
  • W-L: 2-11 (15.4%)
  • 68.9 passer rating
  • 271 of 466 (58.2%)
  • 2,735 passing yards (5.9 YPA)
  • 9 touchdown passes, 14 interceptions
  • 50 carries, 243 rushing yards (4.9 YPC), 2 rushing touchdowns 
  • 4 fumbles
  • 25 sacks

Lowlight: 4 interceptions in Urban's final game (20-0 L @ the Titans on 12/12/21)

Highlight: Primetime debut vs. the eventual AFC Champions (24-21 L @ the Bengals on 9/30/21)

The struggles of Urban Meyer have been well-documented and I'll spare Jags fans the darkness of having to relive them here.

What I will say is that I stand by my stance that Meyer was, and may forever remain, the worst head coach in post-merger NFL history. He inherited the Ferrari that was Clemson’s Trevor Lawrence and proceeded to run him directly into the ground.

Most may say that the 23-21 win over Tua Tagovailoa and the Dolphins in London, a fourth quarter comeback that snapped the Jags' 20-game losing streak, was Lawrence's finest moment of the Urban Era. But I'd argue that his primetime debut on the road vs. the eventual AFC Champion Cincinnati Bengals is the game that belongs at the top.

At 21 years of age, facing Joe Burrow in a National Championship game rematch, on the road against one of the best teams in football, Lawrence was near-perfect: completing 70.8% of his passes, averaging 8.5 YPA, taking only 1 sack, committing 0 turnovers, producing 2 jaw-dropping deep completions and forcing his way into the endzone himself.

For so long as Lawrence was on the field, the Jags never played with a deficit. The game was lost after the Bengals kicked a game-winning field goal as the clock hit 0:00.

The low point of the Urban era came after Lawrence threw 4 interceptions in a 20-0 shutout that ended Meyer's career as a head coach in the NFL.

Chapter 2: Darrell Bevell

  • Games: #14-17
  • W-L: 1-3 (25.0%)
  • 81.9 passer rating
  • 88 of 136 (64.7%)
  • 906 passing yards (6.7 YPA)
  • 3 touchdown passes, 3 interceptions
  • 23 carries, 91 rushing yards (4.0 YPC)
  • 1 fumble
  • 7 sacks

Lowlight: 3 interceptions vs. Bill Belichick's defense (50-10 L @ the Patriots on 1/2/22)

Highlight: Knocking Indianapolis out of the playoffs in the 2021 finale (26-11 W vs. the Colts on 1/9/22)

It would be impossible to overstate just how much of an upgrade Darrell Bevell was over Meyer. Despite only winning 1 of 4 games as the interim head coach in Jacksonville, Bevell helped position Lawrence to make the most of what he had with a very limited roster.

"I think he’s had a good year and I think he’ll be a solid NFL player, maybe great. I don’t know, but he’s certainly made a lot of progress this year.” Patriots head coach Bill Belichick said of Lawrence.

The 50-10 loss to New England was definitely the lowest point of the Bevell era, but Lawrence eventually closed out the game 4-of-5 on a drive that ended with a 28-yard touchdown pass to Dare Ogunbowale.

The following week, Lawrence's 2021 Picasso came in the infamous Clown Bowl—dismantling the Jaguars' division rival to knock the Colts out of the postseason.

Chapter 3: Doug Pederson

  • Games: #18-25
  • W-L: 2-6 (25.0%)
  • 84.8 passer rating
  • 173 of 277 (62.5%)
  • 1,840 passing yards (6.6 YPA)
  • 10 touchdown passes, 6 interceptions
  • 27 carries, 99 rushing yards (3.7 YPC), 3 rushing touchdowns
  • 4 fumbles
  • 12 sacks

Lowlight: Game-losing interception vs. Denver in London (21-17 L vs. the Broncos on 10/30/22)

Highlight: AFC Offensive Player of the Week in LA (38-10 W @ the Chargers on 9/25/22)

With the hiring of former Super Bowl-winning head coach Doug Pederson, hopes were high that Lawrence would develop into the star Jacksonville had hoped for. The Jaguars found success early, winning 2 of their first 3 games. Against the Colts in Week 2, Lawrence set then career-highs in both completion percentage (83.3%) and passer rating (121.5). Seven days later, he was named AFC Offensive Player of the Week after his 3-touchdown/0-interception performance rocked Justin Herbert and the Chargers in Los Angeles 38-10.

What followed was a 5-game losing streak, including a loss against the Colts in Week 6 despite a near-perfect performance.

Lawrence made his share of mistakes too, none more soul-crushing than the game-losing interception he threw against the Broncos in London.

Lawrence has credited that moment as motivation that helped to fuel his dramatic turnaround.

Chapter 4: Steezy Trev

  • Games: #26-32
  • W-L: 5-2 (71.4%)
  • 108.2 passer rating
  • 177 of 254 (69.7%)
  • 1,909 passing yards (7.5 YPA)
  • 14 touchdown passes, 1 interception
  • 29 carries, 191 rushing yards (6.6 YPC), 2 rushing touchdowns
  • 4 fumbles 
  • 13 sacks

Lowlight: Blowout loss, plus injury in Detroit (40-14 L vs. the Lions on 12/4/22)

Highlight: Fourth-quarter comeback and game-winning drive vs. Baltimore (28-27 W vs. the Ravens)

Considering just how rough the previous 41 games were (6-35 record), the ride the Jaguars have been on over the last 7 has to be one of the most improbable and one of the most satisfying in franchise history. Lawrence took a major leap forward and has been playing the position—I'd argue—at a higher level than any quarterback in the National Football League. 

Christian Kirk, Evan Engram and Zay Jones have impressed, but nobody would confuse this group with the 1998 Vikings, 1999 Rams, 2004 Colts or 2020 Buccaneers.

There have been many high points, but the comeback vs. the Ravens that ended with a game-winning touchdown/two-point conversion drive is probably No. 1.

The only true low point from this chapter came after Lawrence injured his toe in a 40-14 loss to the Lions. He returned to the game in the second half and finished 8 of 12 (66.7%) for 55 yards, 1 touchdown, 0 interceptions and a 104.5 passer rating. Since that time, the Jaguars have been undefeated (3-0) despite Lawrence missing practice time and playing with only one healthy foot.

This Sunday's road game vs. the Texans is likely to be a meaningless one. But the season finale vs. the Titans in Week 18 will serve as the 2022 AFC South Championship game.

A win grants Jacksonville the opportunity to host a home playoff game at TIAA Bank Stadium in January.

It's a position few could have imagined after a rocky 2-6 start to the 2022 season.

It's a position even fewer could have imagined after the 2-11 run under Urban Meyer.

The Jacksonville Jaguars are now five wins away from Super Bowl LVII.

There's no telling what the future holds for Duval but at the very least, the future's looking bright at quarterback.

Published
Ryan Michael
RYAN MICHAEL

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