The Jaguars had a bitterly disappointing finish to the season, losing five of their last six games to finish at 9-8 and miss the playoffs.
The only win in that span wasn’t started by quarterback Trevor Lawrence, who missed the first game of his career in Week 17 with a shoulder injury as the Jags shut out the Panthers 26-0.
Speaking to the media this week, Lawrence said Sunday’s loss to the Titans was “obviously a tough day.”
“Still need some more time to reflect and think about everything, a lot of lessons learned this year individually, as a team, as an organization, just things that we can do better moving forward and things that I can do better,” Lawrence said in his press conference. “I know I need to play better consistently. Those things are disappointing, but I know we’re going to be better for it. I have no doubt about that.
“You never want to have to be in a situation to lose a game like that and miss the playoffs when there were so many expectations, so much positivity, so much to look forward to. We thought we were going to go a lot further this year. The reality is, we weren’t able to do that. It’s disappointing and you’ve got to live with that.”
One clear issue Lawrence has to improve for 2024 is giveaways. Lawrence had 21 total turnovers this season with 14 interceptions and seven lost fumbles. He had 12 fumbles in all.
The quarterback said it’s a “pretty high” priority to eliminate the turnovers going forward.
“I think that when you don’t turn the ball over, you win more games,” Lawrence said. “I got to own my part and I’ve got to take better care of the ball. That’s going to give us a better chance to win a lot of these games. I understand that and I own that.”
Lawrence added that he generally needs to be more consistent and play better.
“In this league, if the quarterback plays well, it gives you a chance every week and I can do a better job of just being consistently the player I know I can be,” Lawrence said. “I thought I did that better earlier in the season and then as the season went on, I thought that there were times where I didn’t play my best. That’s when it’s needed, when the season is on the line and whatever it is, two-minute drill at the end of the game, making that throw to Calvin [Ridley], that changes the game, things like that.
“I need to be my best in those moments and unfortunately, I wasn’t able to do that at times this year. In talking with the guys, I feel responsible for that. That’s part of it that sucks about this business and when you don’t perform and deliver in those moments, it’s disappointing. Like I said, it’s part of the story and I’m going to keep coming back. I know it’s going to make me better and make this team better.”
Lawrence finished the season with a 65.6 completion rate, throwing for 4,016 yards with 21 touchdowns and 14 picks.
Now that Lawrence has completed his third season, he’s eligible for a contract extension. We’ll see how the Jaguars choose to address Lawrence’s future in the coming months.
