Trevor Lawrence is having a rough rookie season. However, it’s not completely, or even mostly his fault. Yes, he has made some mistakes. But none of his mistakes are alarming or make you question his draft position. Lawrence’s mistakes are that of a rookie. On the other hand, Lawrence usually makes a few throws a game that show you why he’s special and has the chance to be great one day. Unfortunately, the lack of talent around him stifling his rookie campaign. Sunday’s loss to the San Francisco 49ers is just more proof of this fact. The Jacksonville Jaguars are now 2-8 after an abysmal performance on Sunday. Lawrence is not shaken though. The young signal caller is confident and ready to keep fighting.
Trevor Lawrence postgame opening thoughts –
“Season is not going to get cancelled, we have 7 more games. I’m not going to sit up here and say the positives, there weren’t any. We got our butt kicked. I know I will keep fighting.” pic.twitter.com/ET49brpHLY
— Ashlyn Sullivan (@ashlynrsullivan) November 21, 2021
Trevor Lawrence: “I Know I Will Keep Fighting”
Lawrence has no Quit in Him
The Jaguars have won just two games out of their first 10 this season. With seven remaining, the team must improve on offense if it’s going to win any more games.
In the four games since the bye week ended, the #Jaguars have averaged just 10.75 points a game and have scored four offensive touchdowns. They have scored multiple touchdowns in a game just once (Week 10 vs. the Colts).
— John Shipley (@_John_Shipley) November 21, 2021
As you can see in the above tweet, the Jaguars have averaged 10.75 points a game in the past four games. That is abysmal. For a rookie like Lawrence, suiting up week in and week out to play for an offense such as this must be challenging. But Lawrence will not quit. He stated as much in Sunday’s post game presser that he understands the situation and that he is here to fight.
So far on the season, Lawrence has 208 completions on 356 passing attempts and 2,141 total passing yards. That is good for a 58.4 completion percentage. He’s also thrown for eight touchdowns and nine interceptions. While the team is struggling, Lawrence is playing admirably considering what he has to work with.
A Poor Supporting Cast on Offense
Going into the season, many analysts thought the wide receiver group of the Jags was a strong point. However, that is not the case. In fact, this group has been very underwhelming. From D.J. Chark’s season ending injury to Laviska Shenault’s lack of ascension, and even Marvin Jones‘ tepid performance thus far, the wide reciever group is disappointing.
Jones is the Jaguars leading receiver so far this season. Unfortunately, his totals are 42 receptions for 486 yards and three touchdowns. Shenault has been underwhelming so far in his sophomore campaign. He has 4o receptions for 408 yards with no scores. Dan Arnold is a welcome addition to the team. In his six games for the Jaguars this season, he has caught 27 passes for 315 yards. The tight end came to Jacksonville through a trade with the Carolina Panthers and he’s definitely a bright spot that should see an increased role as the season goes on.
Incompletions are an Issue
Most incompletions on "big-time throws" this season (PFF):
1. Ryan Tannehill
2. Lamar Jackson
T3. Tom Brady
T3. Trevor Lawrence 👀 pic.twitter.com/hsjNj2nifg— Ian Hartitz (@Ihartitz) November 15, 2021
According to ESPN Reporter Michael Dirocco, the Jaguars had 18 drops before Sunday’s match up against the 49ers. At the time, that was the second most drops in the league behind only the New York Jets. Lawrence needs to be able to rely on his recievers.
The bottom line for these receivers is improvement must come for Lawrence to have any success the remainder of the season. As highlighted in the above tweet, Lawrence is tied for third in the NFL for most incompletions on big time throws. These are passes that would go for big gains if only the receivers would catch the ball.
What to Expect the Rest of the Season for Trevor Lawrence
There is no reason to expect the Jaguars receivers to have a big resurgence with the remaining seven games. There may be a few stand out performances, but they are what they are at this point.
What can the Jaguars expect from Lawrence? The team can expect a player who will fight to do well each week. It might be painful. It might be frustrating. But Lawrence has the heart and skill to make it in this league. The rest of the season will be about Lawrence continuing to get experience as an NFL quarterback and hopefully staying healthy at the same time.
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