Trevor Lawrence threw a career-high five touchdown passes and ran for another score Sunday, leading the Jacksonville Jaguars to a 48-20 win over the New York Jets and drawing strong praise from first-year head coach Liam Coen.
Lawrence completed 20 of 32 passes for 330 yards with no interceptions and added 51 rushing yards, including a 15-yard touchdown scramble in the first quarter. The Jaguars led 31-10 at halftime and improved to 10-4 with their fifth consecutive victory, maintaining a one-game lead over Houston in the AFC South.
“I thought he was very accurate with the football,” Coen said after the game. “He started hot, allowed guys to catch and run, especially over the middle of the field. The vertical throws were very impressive. Six total touchdowns — I’m very proud of Trevor and his preparation. He’s playing at a high level right now.”
The former Clemson quarterback has thrown for 2,880 yards and 18 touchdowns with 11 interceptions this season and has not committed a turnover in the past three games.
Coen said Sunday’s performance was among the best he has seen from Lawrence.
“You could feel it the last few weeks,” Coen said. “He’s continuously gaining more and more confidence, continuity and chemistry with the guys he’s playing with, executing the plan. I would say it’s one of the best ones he’s had, absolutely.”
One play in particular stood out to the coach — a rollout to Lawrence’s left against a zero blitz, a repeat of a concept the Jaguars used the previous week.
“Same exact play we were running last week,” Coen said. “That’s him being special. That’s him being a football player and making a play.”
Coen credited both Lawrence’s development and the coaching staff’s adjustments for the offense’s recent surge.
Asked whether the quarterback is figuring out the system or the coach is figuring out the quarterback, Coen called it a combination.
“The pre-snap operation has definitely settled for him,” Coen said. “There’s a lot going on with motions and shifts. We’re able now to run more of the same things, just out of different looks. Time on task, repetition, carrying plays over from week to week — that’s really helped and allowed him to just go play.
“Once the ball is snapped, you want him to use his traits and skill set. We like throwing the football. Him throwing the football is a good thing right now. We’re protecting at a high level. He trusts the group in front of him and trusts the guys on the perimeter to make plays when the ball is in the air.”
Lawrence’s former Clemson teammate Travis Etienne Jr. was heavily involved in the passing game. Etienne caught three passes — all for touchdowns — for 73 yards and rushed 12 times for 32 yards.
His scores included a 20-yard touchdown reception with 21 seconds left in the first half and a 45-yard swing pass in the fourth quarter that closed the scoring.
“We finally hit a screen for a big one,” Coen said. “It’s part of our offense we’ve worked hard at that hasn’t exactly been perfect. When you’ve got a guy like that who can make people miss in space and has great hands and vision on the perimeter, you just find different ways to get him the ball.”
Coen pointed to a route Etienne ran before halftime as an example of his growth as a receiver.
“He kind of made it look like an option route,” Coen said. “He studied his feet, got the linebacker to stop and beat him over the top. Then that angle route again — similar to one we had last week — he runs a great route and Trevor makes the throw and catch. To have a back who can do both for you is huge, and he just continues to ascend.”
The Jaguars have three games remaining as they push for a return to the postseason. Coen said the recent stretch has reinforced the team’s identity.
“We like where we are, but we know there’s a lot of work left,” he said. “We’re protecting well, the quarterback is playing clean, and our guys are making plays. That’s what you want to see this time of year.”