Jaguars and Urban Meyer rally behind Trevor Lawrence despite struggles

Of all the positions in football, quarterbacks have the biggest impact on the outcome of a game. That’s why they’re the highest-paid players in the NFL. On the other hand, they often get more credit than they deserve and more blame than they should when their team loses. Trevor Lawrence is no different and he’s getting more blame than he deserves after the Jaguars’ 23-17 loss to the Indianapolis Colts in Week 10.

Lawrence was far from perfect against Indy, going 11-of-21. Also, he had the chance to lead a scoring drive in the last play of the game but he fumbled the ball. Even though the defense did a good job of stopping the Colts’ offense, the Jags struggled to move the ball, going 5-of-15 on third downs and going three-and-out on several occasions.

The former Clemson Tiger certainly needs to improve. He said so himself after the game but as talented as he is, he just made his ninth start in the NFL. Also, he needs more help from his teammates. Having said that, he isn’t the sole reason why the Jaguars’ offense went stagnant. Penalties and drops also played a role in the team’s inability to score points. Head coach Urban Meyer acknowledged as much when he met with the local media after the game.

"When a quarterback plays great, everyone else runs and plays great. When a quarterback really struggles you can find it everywhere. Three holding penalties, a position at three or four penalties… that’s not the quarterback, but it’s cumulative."

Penalties were indeed costly for the Jaguars in Week 10. They were flagged eight times for 79 yards. Meyer later said he’s concerned about Lawrence’s psyche, as he’s got a lot on his shoulders. He added he talked to the rookie quarterback and notes that the whole team has his back.

"I grabbed him and I think our whole team does [worry]… I think he’s second or third most votes I told you about captain they love him. You name a guy that works harder, and we pick each other up, so it’s kind of neat to see what happened in there afterwards."

The Jaguars head coach told the media everyone, including himself, needs to do better and help their quarterback. Tight end Dan Arnold echoed Meyer’s comments when he spoke to the media, “the biggest thing is that we got a bunch of guys around him that are going to support him no matter what and that’s really all there is to it”.

This is a young team and expecting Lawrence to consistently play at a high level is unrealistic at this stage of his NFL career. The organization knows that and can’t do anything but support him and make sure he keeps developing.