Two years ago, Trevor Lawrence and Zach Wilson were the top two picks in the 2021 NFL Draft. While both players experienced their own unique ups and downs as a rookie, they also each entered their second season facing a great amount of uncertainty, having proven exactly nothing in the NFL to that point.
Only, if we’re splitting hairs, Lawrence arguably had a tougher road ahead, being that he was once again starting from scratch with a whole new head coach, learning a whole new offensive scheme.
Sure, both players received reinforcements, whether it was the Jacksonville Jaguars going on a spending spree in free agency or the New York Jets placing a priority on adding pass-catchers such as Garrett Wilson or Tyler Conklin, the difference in development we’ve seen from the two former college stars in Year 2 has been vast.
We don’t need to look any further than what happened in Week 12, where Wilson was forced to ride pine after another pitiful performance, where he later showed he simply wasn’t ready to be a good leader.
It also didn’t help that this was the week Lawrence decided to put on his superhero cape and carry the Jaguars to victory in his best NFL performance to date.
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Trevor Lawrence’s signature win provides hope in Duval
Suddenly in Week 13, Lawrence woke up and came through with the performance of a lifetime, or at least the best we’ve seen from the former No. 1 overall pick to this point.
Lawrence completed 29-of-37 passes for his second-most passing yards in a single game in his 28-start NFL career. Not only was Lawrence efficient (78.7% completion rate), he also found the endzone three times.
Best of all, Lawrence turned in a clutch game for the ages, coming back from a nine-point deficit with 13 minutes to go in the fourth quarter against former NFL MVP Lamar Jackson.
We can point to how the Ravens have been susceptible to such comebacks this season and how their pass defense allows the 27th most yards in football, but what about giving the 23-year-old Lawrence some praise instead?
Some might say the Ravens lost the game, but more accurately, they just couldn’t do enough to prevent Lawrence from winning.
- Trevor Lawrence stats: 66.5% completion rate, 2,655 passing yards, 16 TD, 6 INT
It’s not just that Lawrence woke up feeling dangerous on Sunday, his stellar play is a theme that’s continued all month, where he leads the NFL in completion percentage, ranks second in passer rating, and second in TD: INT ratio.
Whether you want to point to the big coaching change, going from the unprofessional Urban Meyer to the NFL battle-tested Doug Pederson, the improved stable of weapons, or just the direct improvement from Lawrence is up to you, but the former Clemson icon is here, and his star is only just starting to shine.
Basically, it’s time to buy stock in Trevor Lawrence because he may be a top-15 QB now, but we may not be far away from him climbing into the top-10 or even top-five once next season rolls around.
