Jaguars QB Trevor Lawrence peaking at the right time of 2022 season

Things are always fluid in the NFL and teams that sit on top at one point can find themselves in the cellar of the league. Conversely, clubs that didn’t seem poised to make noise end up getting hot at the right time and turning heads in December. Such is the case of the Jacksonville Jaguars, who had a midseason slump and seemed destined to finish with a losing record for the fifth straight year.

However, the Jags are now 7-8 following a win over the New York Jets in Week 16 and are on the verge of making the playoffs and winning the AFC South. One big reason for their recent success is Trevor Lawrence, who’s playing his best football in the second half of the 2022 season.

Lawrence had shown progress early in the season but hadn’t had that convincing win, that signature game that announced his arrival. The fact that he played a role in the losses against the Houston Texans and Denver Broncos in Weeks 5 and 8 didn’t help his case as a franchise quarterback. But then, the switch flipped and the former Clemson Tiger has played at an insanely high level since Week 9.

Since then, Lawrence has completed 69.69 percent of his passes for 1,909 yards with 14 touchdowns and just one interception. Coincidentally (or not), the Jags have gone 5-2 since then. Josh Allen and Patrick Mahomes notwithstanding, there’s arguably no other quarterback who’s playing better than Lawrence right now.

Jaguars QB Trevor Lawrence is set to finish 2022 strong

You will be hard-press to find an analyst that doesn’t think Trevor Lawrence is playing like a top-10 quarterback. In NFL Media’s ranking, Marc Sessler gave him the No. 7 spot, citing his heroics against the Dallas Cowboys in Week 15. Similarly, Lawrence was ranked seventh by The Ringer while Ted Nguyen of The Athletic argues that “it’s time to reset expectations for the timeline of his development”.

Having a better supporting cast and a head coach that knows what he’s doing has certainly helped but Lawrence also deserves praise for improving his decision-making and getting a better feel for the game in Year 2. While it was almost a certainty he would become one of the best signal-callers in the NFL, not many observers would have predicted he would do achieve that level of play soon.

While finishing the season with a winning record and a trip to the playoffs are welcomed developments, the Jaguars’ top priority this year was ensuring Trevor Lawrence made a leap. Given his quick ascension, they should be thrilled they won’t have to worry about the quarterback position next offseason.