Trevor Lawrence earns underwhelming grade in Commanders loss

After a rocky rookie campaign, Trevor Lawrence is expected to improve considerably in 2022. While there’s plenty of time left for him to make the leap, he isn’t off to a good start. He made some good throws in the Jacksonville Jaguars’ 29-22 loss to the Washinton Commanders but he also committed mistakes, which is why he got a poor mark following Week 1.

Chris Trapasso of CBS Sports graded all second-year quarterbacks in the season opener and gave Lawrence a ‘D’. Trapasso liked some of the throws the former Clemson Tiger made against the Commanders, such as his 49-yard completion to wide receiver Christian Kirk. However, he also brought up several low-caliber throws, such as the “wobbly duck” he lofted that was intercepted at the end of the game.

Overall, Trapasso says that the thing that stood out the most about Lawrence in Week 1 was his arm talent. Conversely, he points out that his accuracy was poor for most of the game. On the other hand, he acknowledges that he didn’t have optimal protection up front.

"Lawrence’s arm talent really popped in the opener. Everything else about his effort on the road was blah to really bad. His accuracy was shoddy for most of the contest and he was frenetic in the pocket — although his offensive line got demolished in most cases. Not the best season debut for Lawrence. However, altogether, Jacksonville’s offense looks more organized and competent than it did a year ago."

Lawrence went was 24-of-42 for 275 yards with one touchdown and one interception. His interception came towards the end of the fourth quarter, trying to help the Jaguars win the game.

The Jaguars and Trevor Lawrence will need to play better vs. the Colts

Trapasso did a good job of dissecting Lawrence’s performance and there’s no doubt needs to play better but the Jaguars’ offensive line also needs to do a better job of protecting him. Similarly, they need to cut down on the drops.

Back in the second quarter, the Jags got to the Commanders’ red zone and had a chance to score but ended up turning the ball over on downs. Zay Jones and Travis Etienne dropped passes while Montez Sweat defensed a pass intended for Christian Kirk.

Against the Indianapolis Colts, their Week 2 opponent, they will need to reduce the number of times they’re penalized, they need to improve their red zone efficiency Also, they must do a better job of moving the chains on third downs. Against Washington, they had a measly 25 percent conversion rate on said downs. They need to get close to 50 percent.

Of course, Lawrence will get (fair or not) most of the criticism because he’s the face of the franchise. However, the whole team must play better, and that includes the defense. Sure, they created three turnovers (two interceptions, and one fumble) but they also gave up four passing touchdowns.

Nobody likes to start a season with a loss. Fortunately for the Jaguars and Trevor Lawrence, most of the issues they experienced in Week 1 are correctable. But they’d better hurry up, the last thing they want is to start a losing streak.