Trevor Lawrence’s night against the New Orleans Saints wasn’t perfect, but it sure gave the Jaguars faithful plenty to smile about. The game ended with a 17-17 scoreline. And the former No. 1 pick looked composed after shaking off an early mistake, showing exactly why this City of Bridges believes in him.
On Jacksonville’s opening drive, Lawrence slipped on the handoff to Tank Bigsby, coughing up the ball right into the arms of Saints rookie Vernon Broughton at the 12-yard line. It was the type of mistake that could rattle a quarterback early, especially on the road. But instead of ducking questions after the game, Lawrence owned it. “Operation, you know, penalties, a lot less of those to start out in the first couple drives. So, I think from that standpoint it was a lot better,” he said.
But even with the fumble, Lawrence’s overall performance showed growth. He bounced back to complete 8-of-10 passes for 76 yards and a touchdown, with one of those incompletions coming off a drop. More importantly, the Jaguars’ offense averaged 7.6 yards per attempt under him and marched into the red zone twice.
Not only that, the run game gave Lawrence breathing room, keeping the offense ahead of the sticks. That balance allowed him to attack the middle, spread the ball around, and run through his reads smoothly—just as he had done in the preseason opener. Yet, Lawrence didn’t shy away from raising the bar for his teammates. He knows Jacksonville can’t afford to just settle for progress; they need to build a winning rhythm heading into the season.
Finally, Lawrence made it clear where his focus lies now, clearing expectations from his locker room. “We’ve done some great work in camp and (and are) really just taking it one day at a time. We’re at that phase now with the joint practice this week in Miami, which will be great to go against a different defense. We’ve been going, battling against our defense all of camp, so it’ll be nice to see something different and have to adjust and see how the guys respond to that…,” he said. Going against the same defense in camp has its limits, so the Dolphins will provide a new challenge.
And as Lawrence added, “So it’s getting here quick. I think we’ve taken some big steps, but this week is important for us because it’s not just, you know, we’re still kind of in that camp mindset of really attacking the day, trying to get better, still continuing to get in shape, getting ready to play week one.” For the Jaguars and for Duval County, week 1 can’t come fast enough. Though it’s still only preseason, Lawrence has shown his worth this time. Thanks to the coach!
Why Trevor Lawrence is thriving under Liam Coen?
Trevor Lawrence’s chemistry with Liam Coen is already catching attention in Duval. The Jaguars quarterback has looked sharp outside of one unlucky fumble, which came after an offensive lineman stepped on his foot. Without that mishap, Lawrence would have led the Jags to three scoring drives in three chances across his first two preseason outings. More importantly, he’s been efficient—just three incompletions so far, and two of those bounced off receivers’ hands. For the Teal faithful, it’s the kind of early progress that feels different this time.
Meanwhile, Lawrence himself pointed to execution as the real difference. “I thought it was a lot cleaner this week, the execution. Obviously, pre-snap operation. No penalties to start off. So that was a good start,” he said at halftime in New Orleans. He admitted he wanted the red-zone mistake back, but he emphasized how good it felt to move the chains on key third downs and keep drives alive. For a group trying to build rhythm, those small wins stack up quickly.
Not only that, Coen’s offense hasn’t exactly been light work. It’s a complicated system, with plenty of reads and moving parts, and Lawrence has to adapt fast. The progress hasn’t always been steady, but when it counts, he’s delivered. With Week 1 still weeks away, the important part is that the Jaguars’ leader looks comfortable and in control.
And Lawrence himself echoed that confidence. He said he feels “in a good spot” and that the system is becoming clearer with every rep. As he put it, the offense is starting to gel the way Coen and Grant Udinski envisioned. There’s still room to polish things up, but for now, The Bank has reason to believe their quarterback is finally thriving.
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