Trevor Lawrence joins Peyton Manning and Troy Aikman in achieving unwanted feat
When Trevor Lawrence was selected first overall in the last NFL draft, he joined the likes of Peyton Manning and Troy Aikman, who were selected first overall by their franchises. This week, he joined the two Hall of Famers in holding another record, this one a bit more exclusive but a lot more unwanted.
Trevor Lawrence became the third quarterback in throwing two interceptions or more in each of their first three games in the NFL.
Quarterbacks with two or more interceptions in each of their first three games, per @ScottHanson:
Trevor Lawrence
Troy Aikman
Peyton Manning
So, there's that.
Why Trevor Lawrence's case is similar to Peyton Manning and Troy Aikman
Trevor Lawrence will be hoping that his current tough run is a harbinger of better fortunes. Troy Aikman began his Dallas Cowboys career in a shutout loss by 28 points to the New Orleans Saints. The very next week, he was at the receiving end of another loss as the Arizona Cardinals intercepted him twice. He ended the season with nine touchdowns against 18 interceptions.
Peyton Manning also had three interceptions in his very first game as the Indianapolis Colts lost to the Miami Dolphins 24-15. In fact, during his first season, Manning threw for 28 interceptions as opposed to 26 touchdowns.
Trevor Lawrence is following that trajectory, too. Well, almost. He also has seven interceptions compared to just five touchdowns. His legion of fans will be hoping that Trevor Lawrence can turn it around much like Aikman and Manning did.
Trevor Lawrence has now thrown 2+ INT in each of his first 3 games.
He leads the NFL with 7. https://t.co/3I13nF7EDG
Why Trevor Lawrence's case is not similar to Peyton Manning and Troy Aikman
Words of caution must be noted before we begin proclaiming Trevor Lawrence as a future inductee into the Hall of Fame.
Troy Aikman showed flashes of brilliance to convince the coaches to retain him as their starting quarterback despite not winning once in his rookie season. For instance, he threw for 379 yards in a game against the Arizona Cardinals that became an NFL record for a rookie.
Similarly, despite Peyton Manning's poor performance in terms of interceptions, in his rookie season he established his authority over his Colts teammates in the locker room. He was named AFC Offensive Player of the Week after a game against the New York Jets. And don't forget, his ability to call play at the line of scrimmage was already something that would go on to revolutionize the game.
So far we have seen none of that brilliance from Trevor Lawrence. That said, there's always a path back after a tough start as Peyton Manning and Troy Aikman showed. It will be up to him to prove it to the rest of the NFL.
Also Read: Who is Troy Aikman’s Wife?