Trevor Lawrence must come through vs. Patriots if Jaguars want to avoid catastrophe

The Jacksonville Jaguars are 1-5, and one of the many reasons has been the inconsistent play of Trevor Lawrence. While the fourth-year quarterback showed out in the win over the Indianapolis Colts, he's also struggled with accuracy and his decision-making. If the Jags want to beat the New England Patriots in Week 7, he'll need to elevate his game.

Lawrence has completed 60.7 percent of his throws for 1,334 yards with eight touchdowns and three interceptions. That's not a bad statline, but it could be much better. Granted, the former Clemson Tiger has played much better after an underwhelming start to the season. Having said that, he's still not doing nearly enough to live up to the five-year contract, $275 million he got in the offseason.

In his defense, Lawrence hasn't gotten much help from his supporting cast. Wide receiver Gabe Davis caught two touchdown passes in the Week 6 loss to the Bears, but he's also had some costly drops this season. Similarly, tight end Evan Engram had a costly fumble in his return to the lineup after missing four games.

Even Brian Thomas Jr., who's been the most reliable weapon in Lawrence's arsenal had a drop against the Bears. Simply put, you'll have a hard time winning many games if your receivers cannot consistently reel in the football.

Another thing that's held Lawrence back is the protection he's getting up front. He was pressured a combined four times with no sacks in Weeks 4 and 5, but the Chicago Bears registered three sacks and 14 total pressures. That won't do against the Patriots.

The Jaguars will need Trevor Lawrence to elevate his game vs. the Patriots

You could make the case that the Jaguars cannot solely depend on Trevor Lawrence to win football games, and you would be right. That said, they'll need him more than ever if they want to turn things around.

Back in 2023, Lawrence gave Jacksonville a chance to win every time he stepped onto the football field. This season, though, he's looked hesitant and indecisive at times. For his part, the fourth-year quarterback believes that everyone, himself included, must be more consistent.

"I think being more consistent, including myself, and that's been what we've struggled with," Lawrence told the media ahead of Week 7. "Quite honestly, the past couple years, when we haven't played well, it's just the inconsistency, whether it's from me or anyone at any given moment, you're never going to be perfect, but just consistently doing your job, communicating, having the details down. There's some little things out there that keep showing up, and we got to correct them."

"Playing cleaner, taking care of the ball, try to have a turnover-free game on Sunday. I think that's a big step. That's the biggest part of this game, just taking care of the ball, honestly. That's the biggest indication of winning or losing is how many turnovers you have, how many turnovers you got as a defense. Both those things go hand in hand, and we got to control that better as an offense."

Lawrence is right. If the Jaguars can play a clean game and avoid turning the football over, they'll have a shot at beating the Patriots. Here's his full exchange with the press corps.

This is a must-win game for the Jaguars and they'll need Trevor Lawrence to show out if they want to avoid the worst-case scenario in Week 7.

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