Many expected Jacksonville Jaguars star wide receiver Brian Thomas Jr. to start the 2025 NFL campaign strong after bursting onto the scene as a rookie. However, that couldn't have been much further from the case in Week 1; he posted one reception for 11 scoreless yards on seven targets. The team's first-year head coach, Liam Coen, spoke about his primary weapon's quiet day and didn't mince words.
Coen pointed out that Jacksonville made a concerted effort to get Thomas involved from the onset of their weather-delayed 26-10 victory over the Carolina Panthers. By the sound of it, the latter's performance (or lack thereof) had more to do with the person under center: Trevor Lawrence. The Jaguars' quarterback had an uneven outing, to put it mildly, and the club's new leader ostensibly recognized.
Related: 4 critical observations from the Jags' win vs. the Panthers
Liam Coen all but throws Trevor Lawrence under the bus for Brian Thomas Jr.'s disappointing Week 1
"I think we tried to get him a touch on the first or second drive of the game," Coen said during his media availability on Monday of Week 2. "First play of the game, right? We don't convert it. Throw him a screen low, doesn't come down with it."
While Coen didn't explicitly mention Lawrence's name, he highlighted how Thomas had to adjust to what should've been a simple pitch and catch early. What happened next was a snowball effect, at least in the eyes of Jacksonville's sideline general. One miscue led to another, and the Pro Bowl wideout was never able to get into a rhythm.
"... and then the flow of the game, we missed [Thomas] on an in-breaker, which he had a lot of room to run, missed him on a corner route where he was fairly open," Coen told reporters. "Then, [he] had the one on the out of bounds. So, you're talking about five catches right there that get him into the flow of it."
"It's just the way the game went," Coen added, basically giving Thomas a mulligan. But it seems like there's frustration with Lawrence's miscues. While it didn't cost them against Carolina, the Jags' highly-paid signal-caller botched several opportunities that frankly should've been converted. Jacksonville left points on the board, something they can't afford to do when facing stiffer competition.
For what it's worth, Coen isn't the first person with a close-up view of Lawrence to speak on his accuracy issues. Ex-Jaguars head coach Doug Pederson discussed the matter during a press conference nearly a year ago today (h/t The Coachspeak Index). Time is a flat circle in Duval County, with Thomas' production consequently taking a hit.