The Jacksonville Jaguars are 2-1 after trouncing the New England Patriots. Their early 2026 success doesn't appear to be a fluke, so expect them to keep racking up wins the remainder of the year. One big reason a regression is highly unlikely is that Trevor Lawrence is playing at a high level.
Sure, you could make the case that Lawrence's numbers don't pop off the stat sheet he's thrown for 585 passing yards with seven touchdowns and two interceptions), but the only reason his stats don't look better is that the Jags have been so dominant that they've decided the outcome of the game by the fourth quarter. It simply doesn't make sense to keep No. 16 around, so they've pulled him off the football field.
Of course, there's still plenty of time left in the regular season. Things could change in the upcoming months, but Lawrence's candidacy for the MVP award is as strong as it's ever been.
Trevor Lawrence deserves to be in the MVP race but there are other legit candidates
The Jaguars are just one of 32 NFL teams, so even if they're good, there could always be someone better. This is a roundabout way of saying that as productive as Trevor Lawrence has been, he isn't the only player who could make a strong case to earn MVP honors in 2026.
Patrick Mahomes appears to be his old self even though he's coming off a serious injury. Similarly, Brock Purdy and Joe Burrow are putting the San Francisco 49ers and the Cincinnati Bengals, respectively, on their backs. There's Josh Allen, who's been lights out and led the Buffalo Bills to a 3-0.
Having said that, there are other players who look underwhelming and may not be in the thick of the MVP race. Matthew Stafford and Drake Maye come to mind. The former is the reigning MVP winner but hasn't been nearly as dominant as he was last year. It doesn't help that the Los Angeles Rams are 1-2 heading into Week 4.
Maye, for his part, has watched his stock plummet after a dreadful start to the 2026 season. In fact, his struggles have been the talk of the league after the Jaguars easily trounced the New England Patriots in Week 3.
Sure, there will be a couple receivers and running backs who'll also be part of the MVP conversation, but it's hard to see a non-quarterback player ultimately get the award, as the NFL is so quarterback-driven.
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The Jaguars need to keep winning, and Trevor Lawrence needs to come up clutch
Although Trevor Lawrence deserves to be in the conversation, he's currently a dark horse candidate. For that to change, he and the Jaguars will need to keep winning games. But not only that; the former Clemson Tiger needs to raise his game to the next level and look good against his team's top opponents on their schedule.
Similarly, Jacksonville needs to be dominant in prime time against the Dallas Cowboys, the Pittsburgh Steelers, and the Baltimore Ravens later this season. If Lawrence can outplay the likes of Dak Prescott, Aaron Rodgers, and Lamar Jackson, his odds of being recognized as the best player in the league will go up.
The Jaguars need to focus on their next opponent, the Cincinnati Bengals. But just because they are focusing on one game at a time doesn't mean they aren't aware of the big picture, which is making a deep playoff run and helping Trevor Lawrence become MVP for the first time in his career.
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