The Jacksonville Jaguars are catching fire in the regular season. Expected to struggle early in Year 1 of the Liam Coen era, they're instead 9-4 and in a great position to make the playoffs. Then again, their recent success shouldn't come as a surprise when you take into account that the Jags already had several talented players in place. They just needed a head coach who could push the right buttons.
Among those players who are hitting their stride under Coen, Trevor Lawrence probably stands out the most. The first overall pick in the 2021 draft was coming off an unremarkable campaign filled with injuries and has turned the corner after a rough start to the season.
During Jacksonville's four-game streak, Lawrence has completed 59.0 percent of his throws for 882 yards with eight touchdowns and four interceptions. NFL analysts are rightly taking notice of his improved play. Moreover, his recent success led him to a surge in NFL quarterback rankings.
Trevor Lawrence has become a top-10 QB for the Jaguars
Nick Shook of NFL Media ranked all starting quarterbacks in the NFL entering Week 15 and placed Trevor Lawrence at No. 10, noting that he'll fizzle eventually but is currently playing at a high level. Here's the skinny.
"I know he'll burn me eventually, but Trevor Lawrence looks pretty darn good of late," Shook wrote. "He's playing with confidence and throwing with consistent accuracy since his first season with Doug Pederson. The Jags are rolling because of it."
Lawrence was dubbed a generational talent coming out of Clemson but struggled under Urban Meyer. He then turned the corner with Doug Pederson and played like a top 10 quarterback in the second half of the 2022 season.
The Knoxville, Tennessee, native got off to a strong start in 2023 before injuries derailed his campaign. Expected to bounce back the following year, he instead regressed, partly because Pederson no longer had an active role in his development. To make matters worse, he suffered an AC sprain that cut his season short.
The Jags cleaned house in 2025 and hired Liam Coen to replace Pederson. With him in his corner, Lawrence has rebounded, but he's certainly dealt with growing pains. Nevertheless, the organization has stood behind him the whole time, and No. 16 has validated its trust with his play in recent weeks.
Trevor Lawrence is playing like he did for the Jaguars late in 2022
Trevor Lawrence is proving that progress isn't linear, but it's easy to point to three reasons for his recent success. The first one is that he has a better grasp of Liam Coen's scheme, the most complex he's been through in his career. The second one is that he began to play with a wristband, which has allowed him to process stuff on the field way faster.
You cannot overlook the impact Jakobi Meyer has had on Lawrence's improved play. The fifth-year receiver has given him a reliable pass catcher in the middle of the field, something he didn't have early in the season. The fact that Tim Patrick, Parker Washington, and Brian Thomas Jr. have come through in recent weeks has also helped.
At last, Trevor Lawrence has once again joined the top-10 conversation. And if he keeps playing at a high level, the Jaguars could make some serious noise in January.