JACKSONVILLE – Let's get to it …
Bradley from Sparks, NV
Trevor Lawrence seemed like a different quarterback Sunday – not just his play, but in between plays and on the sideline. Will this day go down in history as the game the switch flipped?
I honestly don't have a chance from the press box to analyze Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence between plays, and experience tells me it's difficult to accurately to judge quarterback leadership from television or other distant venues. I do know from speaking to teammates about Lawrence he always has displayed leadership and good sideline presence. Were those things better Sunday during a 27-20 victory over the Las Vegas Raiders at TIAA Bank Field? Perhaps. Either way, how Lawrence played Sunday was encouraging. Very encouraging. He had perhaps his worst NFL game against the Denver Broncos last Sunday. He didn't look very good early against Las Vegas. He responded to that adversity in a mature way after the Raiders took a 17-0 second-quarter lead and played as well for the next four series as I have seen him play. His decision-making. His poise. His accuracy. All were very good as the Jaguars scored on those four consecutive possessions to take a 24-20 lead. It was as impressed as I have been with Lawrence in a season and a half. Maybe it's a turning point we'll remember. We'll see.
Cliff from Callahan, FL
Well, I guess now Trevor's a lock for the Hall of Fame …
Of course not. Lawrence is a developing young player. He didn't suck when he struggled against the Broncos last week and he's not great this week. But the good that he showed Sunday was really good and some of the throws he made were really special.
Nick from Virginia Beach, VA
I'm glad we won a game. It's been so long since we won a one-score game. How does this Sunday rank?
The Jaguars' victory over the Raiders Sunday indeed was a one-score victory, their first after nine consecutive losses in such games. Their last one-score victory was over the Buffalo Bills on November 7 last season. Considering the circumstances of last season and considering the changes around the Jaguars since that game, it's hard to say that Buffalo victory has much remaining importance. I don't know where Sunday's victory ranks in terms of significant one-score Jaguars victories. They're 3-6, so realistically this game may not mean much historically. At the same time, this game had an important feel for this franchise. It had lost six close games this season that it could very much have won. The Jaguars also rallied from a 17-point deficit Sunday and won when it could have been easy to let the game get away. That Lawrence played well in adversity also could have a lot of meaning. This game feels like it could be a turning point. If so, Sunday's one-score victory would rank as pretty important.
William the Contemplator from Jax
So, good start, bad finish. Bad start, good finish. Have the Jags broken the code?
Stay tuned.
Mike from Lakeland, FL
Jaguars wide receiver Jamal Agnew deserves to be in discussions for best KR/PR in the league.
He's really good, really dangerous and you always feel he has a chance to break a long return. Yes, he should be in that conversation.
Roger from Heidelberg, Germany
Why can't it always go that way?
Because this is professional sports and not scripted television, and because the NFL is hard. Really hard.
Jim from Duuuval
Hey Mr. O. So, when is Jaguars Head Coach Doug Pederson going to run his double-reverse-flea-flicker play-action Statue of Liberty play? Can the man just call normal plays when we are driving the ball? Drives me crazy! I guess I'll take the W, though. They don't come very often.
The Jaguars entered Sunday ranked ninth in the NFL in total yards and they had 403 yards offense Sunday. This from a team that traditionally has ranked in the bottom fourth of the NFL offensively in recent seasons. Why Jaguars fan pine for "normal" plays is beyond me.
Unhipcat from Carlsbad, CA
Hi, John. I just did the math. The Jaguars can end up 11-6.
Good eye.
Nick from St. Augustine, FL
How'd the Jags do on fourth down this game? Seriously though one fer a win.
The Jaguars didn't attempt a fourth-down conversion Sunday, though they did line up as if to go for a first down on fourth-and-1 from the Raiders 23 with 3:08 remaining. Pederson opted instead for a timeout and a field-goal attempt. Considering Riley Patterson's 41-yard attempt missed off the right upright, one is left to wonder if Pederson might have regretted playing that one conservative. I kid, but the reality was there were few situations Sunday in which Pederson had much of a decision on fourth down.
Nick from Palatka, FL
SM-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-T!!!
Jaguars defensive lineman Dawuane Smoot had two sacks Sunday, and leads the Jaguars with five sacks this season. He's the Jaguars' most-tenured defensive player and a veteran who plays hard, leads and maximizes his ability. He has been one of the more consistent, reliable players on the defense in recent seasons – and indeed on the entire roster. SM-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-T!??? Absolutely.
Aleta from Mandarin
What does the Jaguars' comeback from a big deficit mean for the rest of the season?
I expect it will help this team maintain a belief in itself, and I therefore expect it will help this team continue to compete and improve and be in contention at the end of games. I expect it also will enable the Jaguars to win a few of those games. I'm not sure it's reasonable to expect this game to catapult the Jaguars into a winning streak that vaults them into playoff contention. That's storybook stuff.
Craig from Ponte Vedra Beach, FL
Trevor grew a beard on Sunday !!!
You seem to be saying Lawrence grew up Sunday. There were some good signs on that front. He played well a week after not playing well. He played well after a bad play early – a botched pitch in the first quarter recovered by Raiders defensive end Maxx Crosby – that could have deflated his confidence. He made good decisions. He made a bunch of "Big Boy" throws that showed why he was the No. 1 overall selection in the 2021 NFL Draft. The game isn't a definitive statement on his career just as his rough game against the Broncos last week wasn't such a statement. But Lawrence was a major reason the Jaguars won Sunday and it was a game where you said, "They probably don't win without Lawrence." That's one of the first times that has happened and that's a good thing for the Jaguars.
JT from Palm Coast, FL
This game feels different. Jags haven't come back in what feels like forever and won a game, but here we are! Very proud of this effort. Hope it's something to build on for the rest of the season.
It's very possible.
PDub from Miami, FL
Oman - I know it is a bit early to pick, but considering the odds of the JAGS picking in the top 5 of the 2023 draft, I think the biggest need is cornerback. Do you agree?
I don't know where the Jaguars will select in the first round of the 2023 NFL Draft. I don't know what they will do in free agency. I do know I expect cornerback to be a major offseason priority.
Brandon from Clemson, SC
We still suck?
This year's Jaguars team never sucked, at least not in the way the past two Jaguars teams indeed sucked at times. They struggled at the end of close games. They made key mistakes. But they competed and were close. That didn't make them good. And because they didn't win, they were by definition "bad." But they didn't suck.
Nick from London, UK
Can we start calling Trevor and running back Travis "TNT" because they both look explosive!
Go for it.
Mike from Cartersville (AKA Trevortown), GA
How alarming is Davante Adams' first-half stat line? That was disturbing. I see them run a lot of Cover 3 but it seems like it doesn't matter what coverage they run, opposing offenses are running wild against coverage whether it's the corners on the outside, the linebackers in the middle. What's going on in the back seven on pass plays?
The Jaguars held the Raiders to 70 yards and no points in the second half. Raiders wide receiver Davante Adams is one of the best wide receivers in the NFL. He had nine receptions for 146 yards in the first half. He had one reception for no yards in the second half.
Abel from the Westside
Never any doubt! I knew Trevor Lawrence could come back when they were 17 points down!
One fer Abel.
Andy from Halifax
What was different about Sunday? Let's do whatever it was like 100 more times.
Winning is cool. People like it.
