Winning drive vs. Ravens marks Jaguars QB Trevor Lawrence’s arrival

The Jaguars are coming off perhaps their most thrilling and impressive win this season, defeating the ever-so-elusive Lamar Jackson and the 7-4 Baltimore Ravens 28 – 27 at TIAA Bank Field.

And this wasn’t your average come-from-behind victory. Jacksonville surfed a wave of momentum that started with a 75-yard miracle touchdown drive and ended with a missed 67-yard field goal attempt by Justin Tucker, arguably the best kicker in the NFL right now.

Trevor Lawrence played a big role in the winning drive vs. the Ravens

The Jags’

touchdown drive included a recovered fumble

, a momentous 4th-down conversion, and a hurried, run-to-the-line Trevor Lawrence touchdown pass to a leaping Marvin Jones Jr. on the right edge of the endzone.

Head Coach Doug Peterson showed that he has supreme confidence in quarterback Trevor Lawrence and the offense by going for a two-point conversion instead of kicking an extra point to tie the game at 27 apiece, likely sending the game into overtime.

The Jaguars had previously gone two-of-four (50 percent) on 2-point conversions during the season before Lawrence successfully connected with Zay Jones for the game-winner Sunday.

Lawrence unleashed a bullet outside pass to an escaping Jones for two yards into the endzone to put the Jaguars ahead for good. Jones was able to utilize his quick burst and sure-handedness to create the necessary separation.

Before that, however, the play of the game was perhaps when wide receiver Marvin Jones made a leaping, acrobatic catch on the right side of the end zone. Jones was able to get just enough of his lower shin onto the ground before sliding out of bounds. After reviewing the play, the officials confirmed the play was a catch and with that, the hopes of all Jaguars fans may have suddenly reignited.

Lawrence’s perfect back-shoulder pass and Jones’s miracle catch not only seemed to bring back the confidence that the Jaguars could win the game against the Ravens but perhaps even instilled the excitement and expectation that they can salvage this season.

The Jaguars didn’t give Trevor Lawrence much help in his rookie season

In one play or even one offensive drive, the Jags may very well have manufactured the momentum and confidence that they and their fans have been craving for so long. The question now is whether they can keep winning. Can they use this clutch moment to steer themselves toward more wins and become a consistently winning franchise? The answer is an emphatic yes.

This year’s Trevor Lawrence and his 2021 counterpart are two completely different quarterbacks. Even before the impressive win against the Ravens, Lawrence has consistently proven that he has evolved as a passer and leader of this team.

Last season, Lawrence often looked completely lost trying to adapt to the pro level. He never seemed to find that comfort level where he could consistently sit in the pocket, progress through his reads, and find the open man quickly and efficiently. He turned the ball over often, was not at all accurate at times, seemed to get easily frustrated, and did not look like a quarterback who was taken number one overall in the NFL draft.

There are many reasons why Lawrence had such difficulty adjusting to the NFL during his rookie season. He had perhaps the worst single-season head coach in NFL history Also, he had an offensive line that looked more like a swinging saloon door rather than a rigid wall of protection and was extremely limited in the number of playmakers he could distribute the ball to.

Due to a below-average defense and overall roster, Lawrence found himself constantly playing from behind. In hindsight, he deserves recognition for facing so much adversity in his rookie season. There aren’t many quarterbacks who could take that situation and give you great quarterback play, let alone victories.

Jaguars QB Trevor Lawrence has come a long way in Year 2

This year, however, Trevor Lawrence has displayed the prowess and confidence that he often showed at Clemson. He hardly ever seems to get rattled anymore and he’s been able to evenly distribute the ball to his new prized playmakers. Also, his turnovers are way down and his accuracy has improved to the point where he has sometimes looked downright dominating.

Lawrence seems to have complete command of this offense and has been able to utilize receivers such as Zay Jones, Christian Kirk, Evan Engram, Marvin Jones, and even Jamal Agnew to the tune of 2,655 passing yards (11th) and 16 passing touchdowns (T-13th) with six interceptions. These numbers certainly don’t jump off the page, but if you compare these numbers to last season, they illustrate a transformation that has happened right before our eyes.

Armed with new free agent and draft acquisitions, a head coach that has proven to be more than competent, a defense that has drastically improved from last season, and an overall culture that has seemingly shed its (constantly) losing image and has been reborn into a team and franchise that has competed in every game it has played in this season, right up until the end.

Last week I wrote about the need for this team to utilize momentum, communicate better on defense, and finish offensive drives in order to turn the page and become a winning franchise again. On Sunday’s much-needed victory, Lawrence and the Jaguars may very well have done just that.