Whenever the MVP conversations come around, it feels like we are hearing the same names for the last couple of years. You always hear the favorites such as Patrick Mahomes, Josh Allen, and Joe Burrow. These names are well deserved but there is a name that I believe should be right in the middle of the conversation once the season starts. His name is Trevor Lawrence. While these other players are more established in the NFL the Jaguars are on the rise and Lawrence may have some advantages these guys don’t.
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Trevor Lawrence is Being Overlooked in the MVP Conversation
Weak Division
When a player wins MVP, a huge part of this award comes down to who they play. If we look at some competition for MVP, all of them have a tough road. We see multiple elite quarterbacks in the same division throughout the NFL.
In the AFC East, you have Aaron Rodgers, Josh Allen, and Tua Tagovailoa. In the AFC North, you have Joe Burrow, Lamar Jackson, and Deshuan Watson. The AFC West has Patrick Mahomes and Justin Herbert in the same division. While in the AFC South, most people would say Trevor Lawrence is the only MVP candidate.
He will be competing six times a year with rookies such as C.J. Stroud and Anthony Richardson and possibly either another rookie in Will Levis or current stop-gap quarterback, Ryan Tannehill. Not only is his own division very weak, he plays the NFC South as well which could be the worst division in football.
Having possibly the easiest strength of schedule could be a huge advantage for Trevor Lawrence in an MVP run.
Hot Finish
While Trevor Lawrence is extremely talented, other NFL quarterbacks have put together multiple elite seasons. This is a main concern on why he is not at the top of this conversation. While he may not be as established in this league as others, let’s not act like he hasn’t shown he could be a star in this league.
Did you forget how he finished last season? If so, let’s remind you how impressive his second half actually was.
During the last nine games of the regular season last year, Lawrence led the Jaguars to a 7-2. Before this, most people had them written off by Week 9 as they were 2-6. In this stretch, Lawrence had 2,273 yards, a 69.7 completion percentage, 15 touchdowns, two interceptions, and a 104.6 passer rating. Most wouldn’t believe it but, statistically, in this span from Week 9 to Week 17, he was a top-three quarterback. The only quarterbacks with better collective overall statistics during this span are Patrick Mahomes and Joe Burrow.
If we get the Lawrence that finished last season, he will be at the very top of this conversation but that is not where he is at the moment.
Team Improvement
Bouncing off from the previous topic, there is no doubt that the first half of the Jaguars season was not ideal. His first year in a new system with a new head coach definitely made him and the team experience some growing pains.
After Lawrence and Coach Pederson figured it out in the second half, this second year together should allow for a much smoother start to finish. Not only will the second year in this offense help, but there are also two major additions that should help him as well.
The first and obvious one is Calvin Ridley. Ridley, the last time we saw him, was a bonafide number-one wide receiver. This was a guy where the last time he played, had over 1,400 yards. If they can get what Ridley was before his suspension, this offense will take a massive leap forward. Ridley could put up big numbers and open things up for other pass-catchers in this offense as well.
The second big addition was Anton Harrison. The Jaguars selected Harrison in the first round of this year’s NFL draft. This selection shows how much they care and want to protect their investment at quarterback. Adding a top offensive lineman from this draft can allow Lawrence to have more time to go through his progressions throughout this season.
Not only that, this can be a major impact on their run game as well. As talented as Travis Etienne is, his big games came in spurts. Lawrence needs him to be more consistent this season to be at the top of this conversation. With an improved offensive line, Etienne may be able to do just that.
With all of these factors, this offense should take a leap and put Trevor Lawrence at the top of the MVP conversation.
Main Image: Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Union / USA TODAY NETWORK
