Jaguars' decisive win vs. Chiefs just raised the bar for Trevor Lawrence

Following an illustrious collegiate career, Trevor Lawrence earned the "generational talent" moniker, so it wasn't a surprise that he was the consensus top pick in the 2021 NFL Draft. The Jacksonville Jaguars held the selection by virtue of posting a dreadful 1-15 record the year prior and didn't hesitate to use him on the Clemson Tiger.

And while Lawrence has played at a high level at times throughout his career, he's also been under scrutiny for not doing it on a consistent basis. But he reminded everyone in the decisive win over the Chiefs just how special he is.

Down 31-24 late in the fourth quarter, Lawrence led a drive that ended when he fell to the ground, only to get up and score the game-winning touchdown to put the Jags on top 31-28. And that's the thing, No. 16 has shown he can do it. The Jaguars shouldn't expect any less moving forward.

Jaguars QB Trevor Lawrence's being elite is dubbed an overreaction after the win vs. the Chiefs

Jeff Kerr of CBS Sports took a look at a handful of overreactions following the win over the Chiefs. He included Trevor Lawrence being back on the list and dubbed him an overreaction, noting that the fifth-year quarterback must play like he did more often. Here's the skinny.

"As the Jaguars keep winning, Lawrence's confidence to grow," Kerr wrote. "The passing numbers aren't stellar (60.4% completion rate, 78.2 passer rating), but he's making enough plays to help the Jaguars win."

Kerr continued, "Monday's performance was a huge step in the right direction, but Jacksonville needs that level of play from its franchise quarterback consistently week to week. With that defense, Lawrence has a margin for error -- but the Jaguars don't beat the Chiefs without him. That needs to be the case more often."

Lawrence's outing against the Chiefs was the best one of the year and arguably the best one dating back to 2023. He completed a season-best 72.0 percent of his throws for 221 yards with one touchdown and one interception — it shouldn't have counted as the Chiefs committed a flagrant pass interference. If that wasn't enough, the Knoxville, Tennessee native had added two rushing touchdowns and 54 yards on 10 carries.

Simply put, he came up clutch when the Jaguars needed him.

Related: 3 winners and 1 loser from the Jags' win vs. the Chiefs

The Jaguars need to see the clutch version of Trevor Lawrence more often

Trevor Lawrence's talent has never been in doubt. What's been questioned is his viability to be a franchise quarterback. Granted, he hasn't always had the best supporting cast or adequate coaching. But at some point, you can no longer come up with excuses and must deliver.

In Lawrence's five-year career, he's played at a top-10 level several times, but has also struggled. Couple that with the fact that he's coming off a pair of injury-marred seasons, and it's understandable why he's been the subject of criticism.

The good news is that Lawrence is hitting his stride under head coach Liam Coen. After a slow start to the season, he's shown notable progress in crucial wins against the San Francisco 49ers and the Kansas City Chiefs. It all started back in the offseason when Coen had his quarterback rework his mechanics from the ground up.

The approach is working as Lawrence is playing the way the Jaguars drafted. Does that mean he's now a top-10 quarterback? Not really. His performance in the win over the Chiefs shows just how clutch he can be, but he must prove it wasn't an outlier but rather a sign of things to come. That said, Jacksonville is surely hyped up about just how great he looked.