Trevor Lawrence might not care about the narrative that he hasn’t proven himself yet. His five-year, $275 million contract extension says he is already a top quarterback.
Still, the Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback has had some ups and downs in his career, and this seems to be a pivotal season for how we view him.
The good news is Lawrence looked excellent in Friday’s preseason finale against the Atlanta Falcons. He came out with some sharp passes including a pretty touchdown pass to Evan Engram. He couldn’t have placed the pass any better, barely getting it over the defender and to his tight end.
Then on the second drive, Lawrence drove the team downfield and hit Engram for another touchdown.
Lawrence was excellent from the start. He completed all four passes for 59 yards on Jacksonville’s first drive. He finished 8 of 10 for 91 yards and was pulled after the second series. That was against Falcons backups, but it’s still good news for the Jaguars to see Lawrence locked in.
It wasn’t just Lawrence. Travis Etienne Jr. looked very good. He started the night with runs of seven and 16 yards. He had 47 yards on seven carries in a little more than a quarter of work. Rookie first-round pick Brian Thomas Jr., who has gotten positive buzz through August from Jaguars camp, had a 38-yard catch on the first drive. Engram, coming off a bad season, made a nice catch on Lawrence’s perfect touchdown pass and had four catches including a pair of touchdowns. On defense, former first overall pick Travon Walker had a sack and another third-down pressure on the next play that forced an incompletion.
The Jaguars looked good in their final preseason appearance. Last season they were probably headed to an AFC South title when Lawrence suffered a high ankle sprain. The wheels fell off after that and the Jaguars didn’t make the playoffs. But maybe they can bounce back, if Lawrence’s injury was the main reason for the collapse.
On Friday night, Lawrence looked like he’s ready to get the season started.
