After a rough start to 2024, the Jacksonville Jaguars have been able to move the ball better and score points more often. Trevor Lawrence's improved play the past four weeks has been a reason why. In fact, he's outperformed fellow AFC South quarterback C.J. Stroud, but it hasn't been discussed nearly as much because the Jags are struggling while the Houston Texans are 5-2.
The past three games, Lawrence has completed 74.1 percent of his throws for 679 yards with eight touchdowns and two interceptions. In the same span, Stroud has completed 64.4 percent of his passes for 609 yards with four touchdowns and two interceptions. It's just a small sample but it's clear Lawrence is outplaying his Houston counterpart.
It's also worth noting that the Jags have won two of their last three games. Now, you cannot simply disregard the early portion of the season. No. 16 was playing poorly and one of the reasons Jacksonville lost their four first games. Having said that, his play has improved noticeably while Stroud hasn't played nearly as well.
Granted, there's a chance Lawrence could once again regress, but the Jaguars should be thrilled about the way he's playing in recent weeks. They'll most definitely need him if they want to turn things around. They're currently 2-5 and three games behind the Texans. This means that winning the AFC South will be unlikely but clinching a playoff spot will be a realistic possibility for Jacskonville if they keep racking up victories.
Trevor Lawrence is showing the Jaguars were right to pay him
Even though Trevor Lawrence has yet to live up to his "generational talent" billing, the Jacksonville Jaguars believe he did enough in his first three NFL seasons to give him a top-market contract worth $275 million earlier this year. The decision was under scrutiny during his poor start to 2024. However, the criticism has receded noticeably the past three games. And that's the thing.
Lawrence has played at a nearly elite level at different times throughout his career. The issue is that he hasn't been nearly as consistent as the Jags would like. Then again, he hasn't always gotten help from his supporting cast and that's hindered his performance, but when he does, he excels.
For instance, the former Clemson Tiger was sacked 10 times and pressured a concerning 43 times the first three weeks. You will have a hard time finding a quarterback who'll thrive under those conditions. The past four games, though, he's gotten much better protection. Similarly, his receivers have cut down on drops a bit. That's been reflected in his play.
It took Trevor Lawrence a bit of time to hit his stride in 2023, but now that he has, the Jacksonville Jaguars should feel good about their odds of steering the ship in the right direction.