Much as predicted the Thursday night NFL game with former Clemson quarterback Trevor Lawrence and the Jacksonville Jaguars was not the prettiest game in the prettiest conditions.
But Lawrence and the Jags defeated the Jets 19-3 to move to 7-8 on the season, including 5-2 in their last 7.
Lawrence was 20 of 31 for 229 yards through the air, while also totaling 51 crucial yards and a score on the ground as Jacksonville rode that touchdown and four field goals past a putrid New York Jets offense that totaled only 227 yards on the evening.
The only Jets score came on after a four-play, -3 yard drive when Lawrence lost a fumble on the opening drive of the game.
Lawrence’s former Clemson teammate Travis Etienne rushed for 83 yards on 22 carries to reach the 1,000-yard mark on the season, while also hauling in 3 receptions for 29 yards.
The win pulls Jacksonville to within a half-game of division-leading Tennessee, who hosts the horrible Houston Texans (1-11-1) Saturday.
The Jaguars, who are the only team to have lost to Houston this season, travel to Houston for a game on New Year’s Day that could have playoff implications for Jacksonville.
Jacksonville and Tennessee could be headed to a showdown on January 8th when the Titans travel to Florida to battle Lawrence and the Jags.
Jacksonville defeated the Titans 36-22 on December 11th in Nashville in the two team’s first meeting of the season.
Former Clemson football stars Trevor Lawrence and Travis Etienne are leading a resurgence in Jacksonville
Lawrence is 350 for 531 (65.9%) for 3,729 yards, 24 touchdowns and 7 interceptions on the season.
Etienne meanwhile has those 1,000 yards on 204 carries, averaging just under 5 yards a carry in his first season of NFL action on the field. The former Clemson star also has 30 receptions for 267 yards on the season, after sitting out all of his rookie campaign with a Lisfranc injury.
The win also continued a remarkable turnaround for this Jaguar team, who has gone from a 3-14 laughing stock under Urban Meyer, to a playoff contender under Doug Pederson in just one season.