The Jacksonville Jaguars entered this week with more questions than answers. After "winning" the offseason, week 1 was their opportunity for new talent to prove themselves and old talent to show growth under a new regime. From rookie Travis Hunter to what should be a new and improved Trevor Lawrence.
After an easy 26-10 victory over the Carolina Panthers, many of those questions seemed to be answered, though not in the way many expected. Hunter didn't show out, and aside from a walk-in rushing touchdown, Brian Thomas Jr. wasn't the star of the day, either. It was the defense that showed up to play, powered by a few veterans. While I can't select the entire square as a "winner," here are three winners and one loser from this week's rout.
Jaguars winner No. 1: Running back Travis Etienne Jr.
Okay, I know I mentioned the defense, but this offseason was filled with a lot of noise for fifth-year veteran Travis Etienne Jr., so it only makes sense to begin with him. Despite new head coach Liam Coen's insistence that the trade rumors had no basis in reality, that didn't stop talking heads from spinning their stories. The Clemson alum had to endure all the noise, bolstered by general manager James "I've still got rocks" Gladstone's decision to draft two running backs.
But Etienne ignored the talk and played ball. He showed out big in the Jaguars' week 1 win over the Carolina Panthers. He ran for 143 yards on just 16 attempts, including a 71-yarder that set up an early Jaguars touchdown. Add his three receptions for another 13 yards, and it's easy to see why Coen tried to shut down the trade talk.
Jaguars winner No. 2: Linebacker Foyesade Oluokun
We've known that eighth-year veteran Foyesade Oluokun is a tackling machine for a few years now. He notched another ten today, which led the team. He also picked a tipped ball, broke up a completion, and forced a fumble that cornerback Jourdan Lewis recovered (more on him below).
Despite this being a somewhat expected caliber of play from Oluokun, he was a key player on a defense that dominated.
Related: It took one game for Foyesade Oluokun to prove why he's Jaguars mainstay
Jaguars winner No. 3: Cornerback Jourdan Lewis
Newly acquired Jourdan Lewis was elected a team captain just this week. He brought a veteran presence that teammates immediately identified with. He checked all the right boxes coming in. The only question remaining was what game day would look like. Lewis answered that question with an exclamation point: five tackles, an interception, a fumble recovery, and three pass breakups.
Jaguars loser: Quarterback Trevor Lawrence
I don't like it any more than you do. And to be fair, Lawrence didn't play that badly. With 178 yards, a touchdown, and an interception, his stat line was middling at best, though it was far better than poor Panthers quarterback Bryce Young. Still, Lawrence overthrew multiple receivers, an underthrown ball to Hunter led to his interception, and his poor decision-making resulted in a 13-yard intentional grounding.
It's the first week, so I'm okay giving him a mulligan. After all, he played well enough to put up 26 points, and he only made a couple of obviously bad decisions. He has plenty of room to improve, and Lawrence has never shied away from hard work. With a solid coaching staff backing him up, I hope this is the last time he ends up in the loser column.
Final thoughts
There was much more to love than to hate in the Jaguars' 26-10 rout of the Carolina Panthers. The defense stood out, the offense put up points when it needed to, and both the young talent and experienced veterans played well. There's hope for the Jaguars this year.