{"id":245279,"date":"2025-09-07T10:30:10","date_gmt":"2025-09-07T14:30:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/?p=245279"},"modified":"2025-09-06T20:25:41","modified_gmt":"2025-09-07T00:25:41","slug":"2025-is-the-make-or-break-year-for-trevor-lawrence","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/2025\/09\/07\/2025-is-the-make-or-break-year-for-trevor-lawrence\/","title":{"rendered":"Forget Liam Coen’s Offense-2025 is the Make-or-Break Year For Trevor Lawrence"},"content":{"rendered":"

All the preseason buzz in Jacksonville has centered around Liam Coen’s shiny new offense. Set to feature motion-heavy looks, creative schemes, and the promise of finally unlocking the Jaguars’ potential. But let’s be clear: no matter how flashy the playbook is, this season doesn’t come down to Coen. It comes down to Trevor Lawrence.<\/p>\n

Four years into his career, Lawrence has not separated himself from the middle-to-bottom tier of NFL quarterbacks. His career line-69 touchdowns to 46 interceptions with an 85.0 passer rating-does not scream “franchise cornerstone.” In fact, that rating puts him in the same statistical neighborhood as Derek Carr and Kirk Cousins. That’s not what Jacksonville thought they were getting when they drafted him No. 1 overall as the “can’t miss” savior of the franchise.<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, quarterbacks like Justin Herbert, drafted a year before Lawrence, have already thrown 68 more touchdowns and over 7,000 more yards despite playing for a franchise infamous for wasting talent. Josh Allen had already stamped himself as an MVP candidate by his third season. Lawrence? We’re still asking if he’s even a top 20 QB, let alone an MVP candidate.<\/p>\n

And that’s the point: the excuses are gone. He’s got weapons. He’s the got the playcaller. He’s got the spotlight. Now it’s on Trevor Lawrence to prove he’s not just another first-round bust. It’s time to show he’s the elite talent Jacksonville believed it drafted.<\/p>\n

The Hype Around Liam Coen’s Offense<\/strong><\/p>\n

Look, Liam Coen deserves credit. The former Rams assistant and Tampa Bay offensive coordinator comes to Jacksonville with a playbook full of misdirection, pre-snap motion, and quick-strike concepts designed to simplify reads and keep defenses guessing.<\/p>\n

But here is the harsh reality: schemes do not win games if the quarterback doesn’t execute. The Rams offense didn’t become feared because of Sean McVay’s play sheet-it became feared because Matthew Stafford turned those plays into big-time throws. It was not Coen’s play sheet in Tampa-it was Baker Mayfield’s ability to deliver. Coen might put Lawrence in that position, but Lawrence still has to deliver.<\/p>\n

This is why the Coen hype is nothing more than a smokescreen. Fans want to believe the new offensive wizard will magically fix everything, but the truth is brutal: if Trevor Lawrence doesn’t elevate, this offense isn’t going anywhere.<\/p>\n

\"\"
Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence (16) throws the ball during the first quarter of an NFL football matchup Sunday, Dec. 1, 2024 at EverBank Stadium in Jacksonville, Fla. [Corey Perrine\/Florida Times-Union]<\/figcaption><\/figure>Why It’s All on Lawrence<\/strong><\/p>\n

Trevor Lawrence is entering Year 5 of his career season where most great quarterbacks have already declared who they are. Peyton Manning had already posted a 4,000-yard season by his second season. Patrick Mahomes was an MVP and Super Bowl champion by his third season. Joe Burrow had a Super Bowl appearance by his second season.<\/p>\n

Lawrence? One playoff run, an underwhelming 26-30 record as a starter, and way too many “he’ll figure it out next year” type of excuses.<\/p>\n

The supporting cast has been there. The talent is still there. He has arguably his most talented offense entering this season. Brian Thomas Jr and Travis Hunter form one of the best duos in the league. The receiving core is deeper at talent with the additions of Tim Patrick and Dyami Brown, along with the rising Parker Washington. The running back room is the deepest in talent it has been in over a decade, maybe ever. Travis Etienne, Tank Bigsby, Bhayshul Tuten, and LeQuint Allen Jr give him a constant rotation of talented backs with game-breaking ability.<\/p>\n

This is not 2021, when Urban Meyer was in town. This is not 2023 when the Jaguars collapsed down the stretch. This is a clean slate with a plethora of weapons, stability, and an offense tailored to his perceived skillset.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\"Jaguars
Jacksonville Jaguars head coach Liam Coen smiles during a press conference at Miller Electric Center Tuesday, April 15, 2025 in Jacksonville, Fla. [Corey Perrine\/Florida Times-Union]<\/figcaption><\/figure>The Stakes in 2025<\/strong><\/p>\n

The Jaguars didn’t draft Lawrence to be average at best and consistently below average. They drafted him to be the face of the franchise, the quarterback who could finally put Jacksonville in the same breath as Kansas City, Buffalo, and Baltimore.<\/p>\n

If Lawrence breaks out, the Jaguars instantly become a real threat in the AFC. If he continues his disappointing play, the new regime will face the ugliest question of them all: Did Jacksonville miss on their golden ticket?<\/p>\n

And here’s where it gets tricky. Lawrence just inked a brand new contract last year that puts him in the stratosphere of Kirk Cousins in Atlanta as a potential unwanted commodity due to his overpaid salary. That is not where you want to be with your supposed franchise quarterback.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The Tone-Setter: Week 1 vs Carolina\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

Week 1 against the Panthers isn’t just another opener. It’s a tone setter. Bryce Young enters his third season for Carolina at quarterback. Another former first overall draft pick with everything to prove, while Trevor Lawrence steps in his fifth season needing to prove he is not the next great draft bust. Both will be looking to rise above “potential” and actually deliver results.<\/p>\n

If Lawrence comes out sharp-commanding the huddle, stretching the field, and turning Coen’s scheme into production-it sends a message that Jacksonville is finally ready to level up. But if he looks shaky, turns the ball over, blends back into mediocrity at best, and looks as awkward as newborn baby giraffe, the question will only get louder: is Trevor Lawrence really the guy, or is he just another quarterback that was built on hype and potential but never delivered?<\/p>\n

The Jaguars didn’t draft Lawrence to be Derek Carr or Kirk Cousins at best. They drafted him to be the guy. They drafted him to be the superstar who could finally bring a Super Bowl to Jacksonville. And make no mistake: 2025 isn’t Liam Coen’s year, it isn’t the defense’s year, it isn’t even the Jaguars’ year. This is Trevor Lawrence’s year, and it’s make-or-break.<\/p>\n

Main Photo Credit: Jeremy Reper-Imagn Images<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Everyone’s hyping Liam Coen’s offense, but 2025 is Trevor Lawrence’s make-or-break year to prove he’s truly the Jags franchise quarterback.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5630,"featured_media":215411,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"no","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[13,36],"tags":[61,135,40,246,6249],"class_list":["post-245279","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-jaguars","category-nfl-news","tag-football","tag-jacksonville-jaguars","tag-nfl","tag-nfl-news","tag-trevor-lawrence"],"modified_by":"Mike Kashuba","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/245279","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5630"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=245279"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/245279\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":245387,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/245279\/revisions\/245387"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/215411"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=245279"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=245279"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=245279"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}