JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Trevor Lawrence has experienced only a few “clean” games during his time in the NFL, but whenever he does, the Jacksonville Jaguars become quite a formidable opponent.
This past Sunday, at Wembley Stadium in London, Lawrence accomplished the feat for the sixth time in four years, leading his team to a 32-16 victory over the New England Patriots without any sacks, interceptions, or fumbles. This victory marked Lawrence’s record to 5-1 in such games, with the sole defeat occurring last year when receiver Christian Kirk was tackled just shy of the end zone, resulting in a 23-17 loss to the New York Giants.
The rarity of these clean games underscores Lawrence’s struggle with turnovers, as he currently leads the league in that category since entering in 2021. His performance in these clean outings indicates that when he has time to operate from the pocket and avoids making risky throws, he performs exceptionally well.
In the game against the Patriots, Lawrence completed 15 out of 20 passes for a total of 193 yards along with one touchdown. A standout moment came when he delivered a perfectly executed 58-yard pass to rookie Brian Thomas Jr., paving the way for the first of Tank Bigsby’s two rushing touchdowns.
Over his last four games, Lawrence has thrown for 967 yards, with seven touchdown passes against just two interceptions, demonstrating a notable improvement. “We hope he continues on this streak,” said coach Doug Pederson on Monday. “He’s growing with our system and is learning consistently. If this is the beginning of a hot streak, we aim to keep it going.”
In the wake of a disappointing performance against Chicago, cornerback Andre Cisco mentioned seeing “a lot of quit” in the team. Following that comment, the Jaguars managed to overcome an early 10-0 deficit and dominated the remainder of the match against New England. Cisco clarified that his remarks were not directed at any individuals but were expressed out of sheer frustration.
Despite the victory, there are areas of concern for the Jaguars. They have allowed opponents to score a touchdown on their opening drives in five of the last six games, including in the matchup against the Patriots. This trend raises questions about the reliability of Jacksonville’s defense and puts pressure on defensive coordinator Ryan Nielsen.
On a positive note, Bigsby had a career-best performance with 26 rushes for 118 yards and two touchdowns. Pederson, however, stated that Travis Etienne remains the starter upon return from his hamstring injury. Nevertheless, Bigsby has struggled in the passing game, which hampers his chances of becoming a reliable three-down back.
In a concerning update, safety Antonio Johnson found himself benched during the game against New England, marking his first outing of the season outside of the starting lineup. Originally a fifth-round draft choice in 2023 from Texas A&M, Johnson had looked poised to replace released veteran Rayshawn Jenkins but failed to make a significant impact in the first six games. Consequently, the Jaguars switched nickel cornerback Darnell Savage to play safety. The team will also gain additional options once safeties Andrew Wingard (knee) and Tashaun Gipson (suspension) return.
Injury updates indicate that left tackle Cam Robinson is currently in concussion protocol. The Jaguars are looking to activate linebacker Foyesade Oluokun’s 21-day practice period after he spent four games on the injured reserve due to a foot injury, with Oluokun having traveled to London, suggesting he may be close to returning.
A notable statistic worth mentioning is that the Jaguars’ next opponents, the Green Bay Packers, have kept Jacksonville under 24 points in six of their seven previous encounters. Green Bay, along with the Bears and the Rams, is part of a select group of NFL teams that have never allowed the Jaguars to score 30 points or more in a game.
Looking ahead, the Jaguars will face a challenging schedule after their London trip, matching up against several NFC teams: Green Bay (5-2), Philadelphia (4-2), Minnesota (5-1), and Detroit (5-1). Historically, Jacksonville has struggled against the NFC, having lost 23 of their last 28 matchups against those teams.