Trevor Lawrence on Jaguars’ shocking late season collapse leading to franchise missing playoffs: “I need to play better”
Trevor Lawrence entered the 2023 NFL season with high expectations after leading Jacksonville to the second round of the NFL Playoffs last year. Most around the league expected them to return to the postseason and potentially be a threat to win the AFC title. Things didn't quite work out that way as Jaguars missed out on the playoffs.
The disappointing season in Jacksonville included losing five of their final six games, including losing a win-and-in scenario against the Tennessee Titans. Lawrence expressed some of their shortcomings, as well as his own struggles, during a recent press conference to conclude the season, via PFT.
“Still need some more time to reflect and think about everything. A lot of lessons learned this year individually, as a team, as an organization, just things that we can do better moving forward and things that I can do better.
"I know I need to play better consistently. Those things are disappointing, but I know we’re going to be better for it. I have no doubt about that."
Through their first 11 games of the 2023 NFL season, the Jaguars held a solid 8-3 record and were in control of the AFC South division. They fell to 9-8 after their season-ending skid, not only losing the division title to the Houston Texans but missing out on the playoffs entirely. One more victory would have put them into the postseason, but they were unable to get it done.
While Trevor Lawrence has been dealing with several injuries down the stretch, including to his shoulder and ankle, he did not use them as an excuse. He simply stated that he needs to play better for the Jaguars to achieve their goals of a deep playoff run. He's not wrong, as his numbers show that he clearly took a step backward this year.
Trevor Lawrence regression in 2023
During his rookie season in 2021, Trevor Lawrence severely struggled and the Jacksonville Jaguars finished with the worst record in the NFL. He threw for just 12 touchdowns and 17 interceptions, but most around the NFL gave him a pass due to the team's chaotic situation that year, including the disastrous hiring of Urban Meyer as their head coach.
The franchise replaced Urban Meyer with Doug Pederson in Trevor Lawrence's second season and the young quarterback took a massive step forward. He recorded an impressive 25 passing touchdowns with just eight interceptions and helped the Jaguars reach the NFL Playoffs, where they defeated the Los Angeles Chargers.
Many expected the superstar prospect to take another step forward in 2023 and cement himself among the best quarterbacks currently in the NFL. Instead, he showed serious regression, throwing for 21 touchdowns and 14 interceptions, while contributing to the Jaguars' late-season collapse that resulted in missing out on the playoffs.
Lawrence will need to do better next year to avoid a similar fate as he continues to try to live up to the massive hype associated with being a first-overall draft pick.