When the Jaguars hired Doug Pederson as their new head coach this year, there was a lot of talk about the impact his arrival would have on quarterback Trevor Lawrence.
Lawrence’s rookie year fell short of expectations and some of his struggles were blamed on the fallout from the Urban Meyer fiasco. Through eight games with Pederson, however, Lawrence hasn’t made the kind of leap that many thought they’d see.
After Sunday’s 21-17 loss to the Broncos, Lawrence has completed 63.8 percent of his passes for 1,838 yards, 10 touchdowns, and six interceptions. In his first eight games in 2021, Lawrence completed 59.4 percent of his passes for 1,821 yards, eight touchdowns, and nine interceptions. The Jaguars have opened each season with a 2-6 record.
On Sunday, Lawrence threw two interceptions. One was in the end zone on a pass that Lawrence should have thrown away and the second came one play after the Broncos took the lead in the fourth quarter. He ended the day 18-of-31 for 133 yards.
“I’ve got to look in the mirror and I’ve got to play better,” Lawrence said, via the team’s website.
Pederson said games like Sunday’s are “really good learning opportunities” for Lawrence and that the team still has “a lot of trust and a lot of faith” in the first overall pick of the 2021 draft. Clear progress in the second half of the season will make it easier for others to share that faith in Lawrence.
