The Jacksonville Jaguars are trending in the right direction. After losing back-to-back games before their BYE, they've won three of their last four and are in the front seat of the race for the AFC South title. And while there are many reasons for their recent surge, there's no doubt that Trevor Lawrence has most definitely played a huge role.
Lawrence wasn't necessarily dreadful early in the season, but he wasn't great either. That said, he's played much better since head coach Liam Coen told him to let it rip, and everyone has noticed his improvement, including a Super Bowl-winning head coach.
Bill Cowher noticed how improved Trevor Lawrence has been for the Jaguars
Bill Cowher participated in a roundtable with CBS Sports colleagues and said that Trevor Lawrence looks significantly more confident than he did a month ago. That led Matt Ryan to say that the Jaguars quarterback is coming off his best game of the season. Nate Burleson then chimed in and stated that he's silenced criticism with his play. Here's the skinny.
"And let me just say, this month or so ago, I talked about quarterbacks playing themselves into a future contract with the team, and I brought his name up, and I was asking the question, who is Trevor Lawrence, and who is he going to be at the end of this season?" Burleson said. "I'm just a former player that's posing questions. It wasn't a shot at Trevor Lawrence, but when he's playing well, I will give him credit, and right now, he is hushing all of those critics up that are asking, Is he our guy? And today he was just that."
Cohwer then says that Burleson wasn't the only one asking whether Lawrence was that guy, and he isn't wrong. Even though the Jaguars committed to him long-term when they gave him a multi-year extension, there have been questions about his future because his played hasn't reflected his contract.
In No. 16's defense, his receivers were dropping passes at a high rate, and the offensive line struggled to protect him after a strong start to the season. However, he's played better in recent weeks, completing 59.8 percent of his throws for 796 yards with seven touchdowns and five interceptions.
The Jaguars will need Trevor Lawrence to keep improving
Of course, Trevor Lawrence still has room for growth and needs to keep playing better if the Jaguars want to solidify their chances of winning the AFC South. Working in his favor is that, outside Travis Hunter, his arsenal of weapons is now complete. Wide receiver Brian Thomas Jr. and tight end Brenton Strange are back after missing time with injuries. Couple that with the fact that he's built a strong rapport with Jakobi Meyers, and nobody will bat an eye if the former Clemson Tiger finishes the season strong.
It's also worth noting that the Jaguars have a somewhat favorable slate the rest of the way. That should allow Lawrence to keep making strides. As Aditi Kinhabwala of CBS Sports recently noted, Liam Coen's scheme is the most complex he's been in, and having more time to get a grasp of it should help him perform better.
Ultimately, Trevor Lawrence has made progress under Liam Coen but will need to take his game to the next level if the Jaguars truly want to make noise come January.