Jacksonville Jaguars end 1st-half touchdown drought in preseason

The Jacksonville Jaguars had a hard time moving the ball and scoring in the first half of their first two preseason games. That changed in Week 3, as the Jags scored in their first possession of the matchup.

At last, rookie quarterback Trevor Lawrence has scored his first preseason touchdown. The Clemson product led a five-play, 68-yard drive that ended with an 18-yard pass to wide receiver Pharoh Cooper. However, that wasn’t the only highlight of the drive.

Lawrence also completed passes to tight end James O’Shaughnessy and veteran wide receiver Phillip Dorsett. The rookie passer went a perfect 3-of-3 for 62 two years. This is the kind of performance worthy of the first overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft.

Here’s the score in case you missed it.

Good things happen when the Jacksonville Jaguars help Trevor Lawrence.

Lawrence’s pass to Cooper was the first touchdown the Jaguars scored in the first half of the 2021 preseason. In the past two games, all their touchdowns came in the second half, once the rookie signal-caller was already out of the game.

Over the last couple of weeks, several analysts took shots at Jaguars head coach Urban Meyer’s approach in the NFL. NFL executives around the league and cap gurus questioned his decision to hold a quarterback competition instead of outright naming Lawrence the starter. In retrospect, it was easy to wonder if Meyer made the right decision because Jacksonville lost two consecutive preseason games. The fact that fellow rookie quarterbacks Justin Fields and Zach Wilson have thrived didn’t help matters.

Lawrence showed what he can do when he has quality protection and a game plan that enhances his talent as a passer. If the Jaguars keep scoring and beat the Cowboys, the narrative surrounding Lawrence and Meyer will completely change.