Trevor Lawrence Is More Than the Second Coming of Blake Bortles

The first round of the NFL playoffs didn’t yield too many surprises. There were but two road teams that came away with wins, with six of the eight teams remaining in the postseason now having been division winners. It’s been a fun beginning to the best part of the year.

Looking to get in on the action for the divisional round? The Jaguars have a second-year QB that started out looking completely horrible and uncomfortable on the field. Maybe thinking about Lawrence as the perfect QB for the Jaguars would be considered part of the NFL picks against the spread. However, by the time the game was over, he had guided them to their first playoff win since 2017.

A Disastrous Start

If you look at the Jaguars’ record last season, they went 3-14. That should not be surprising to anybody or their friends, or family. The team wasn’t bad, but they were coached by somebody that had no business being hired in the first place. The Jags hired College legend Urban Meyer to lead the team and had absolutely no clue what he was doing, proving to be highly unprepared for the task at hand.

In all, the team finished with a 3-14 record. He didn’t even make it through the season. On the bright side, Lawrence was able to start all 17 games. He helped them to a 3-14 record, finishing with a rather unimpressive 12-17 TD to INT-ratio. He completed less than 60% of his passes. And that can’t just be pinned on the fact that he’s a rookie. He didn’t have the proper guidance as he made the transition.

Lawrence never lost a start in college. He didn’t drop one in high school either. He was the consensus top pick a few years prior to actually declaring for the draft. Just like Jared Goff before him, it took until the second season, with a new coach, to truly get things going.

In his second season, Lawrence has the Jaguars in a great position to be relevant for a long time.

Playoff Success!

In 2017, Jags’ #3 pick Blake Bortles helped the team to the postseason with a 10-6 record. They surprised the Bills in the opening round with an ugly 10-3 win, in which Bortles ran for more yards (88) than he passed for (87). They somehow beat the Steelers in a shootout the very next week. Before bowing out to the Patriots in the AFC Championship, they showed themselves as real contenders. But, unfortunately, Bortles went 3-9 the next year and would never start again.

This time, they have Lawrence to thank for their position. It took Bortles four years for a winning record and playoff berth, and it’s happening in season two for Lawrence. In his playoff debut, he threw four interceptions. This is after having just eight in the entire regular season. He managed four touchdown passes and a huge 2-point conversion. He drove the team into field goal range for the last-second Riley Patterson hit.

27-0 down? No problem. No problem at all. He had 25 TDs to just 8 INTs this year. Over 4,000 yards. He got sacked just 27 times, an average of less than two per game. He ran for 291 yards and an additional five touchdowns.

The game-winning touchdown drive is the fourth 4QC he has led this season, proving to be as clutch as anyone in the league. And to do it in whether the team isn’t used to, just 43 degrees (cold for Florida!), it proved he’s here to stay.

Whereas Bortles was a flash in the pan for one season, Lawrence has the pedigree to prove it. And doing it with former Super Bowl-winning coach Doug Pederson must make the job a heck of a lot more fun.

Can They Beat KC?

Jacksonville is an 8.5-point underdog as they head to raucous Arrowhead Stadium. This marks the second they have gotten together with the Kansas City Chiefs, and obviously, the more important of the two.

The Jags lost 27-17 last time, but not for lack of trying. Lawrence finished 29-40 with 259 yards and two touchdowns. At the time, this dropped them to 3-7. They went 6-2 in the regular season after that to end up where they are now.

Only the game can tell if Lawrence can guide the team to yet another win. But, they definitely have a chance.