3 encouraging stats from the Jaguars win vs. Raiders in Week 9

1. Jaguars QB Trevor Lawrence completed 80 percent of his passes

However you look at it, Trevor Lawrence’s rookie season was a disaster. Although he showed flashes of the talent that made him the No. 1 overall pick in the 2021 draft, he didn’t have a good supporting cast or a coaching staff that could effectively develop him, which in turn affected his on-field performance.

With more talent around him and a competent head coach in Doug Pederson in Year 2, Lawrence has made strides but he’s also made several baffling mistakes. He’ll have a pretty good outing one week and struggle the next. That’s why it wasn’t surprising to see him bounce back against Las Vegas after throwing two costly interceptions against the Denver Broncos the week before.

In Week 9, Trevor Lawrence was pretty efficient, completing 80.65 percent of his passes for 235 yards with one touchdown and racking up 53 yards on six carries. More importantly, he made smart decisions with the football and avoided turning the ball over outside of a failed exchange with running back JaMycal Hasty.

Even though Lawrence is still missing that ‘big win’, he showed in Week 9 that he can help the Jaguars bounce back from a rough start. He might not be able to carry the team on his shoulders at this stage of his career but the Jaguars should be encouraged by his progress this season.

Lawrence still has plenty of room for improvement but he took a step in the right direction against the Raiders. The bar will be raised considerably against the Chiefs in Week 10 though, and building some consistency would go a long way toward helping the Jags put up a good fight.