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After a tiring 18-13 home match loss against the Cleveland Browns, Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence unleashed his displeasure. Taking principles out of the football game, Lawrence’s answer about the Jaguars’ performance after their second loss of the season was very crisp, "We suck right now." This was so in the last game against the Browns, as the Jags could not convert almost all of their chances.
They had only one offensive touchdown in the entire game, and the touchdown was in the third quarter after the stunning toss to Brian Thomas Jr., a rookie 66 yards wide. That was the only bright moment for the Jaguars' offense; they could not do anything in the other moments.
Lawrence also had a terrible day – he made 14 of 30 attempts while throwing for 220 yards. He did not turn the ball over but did not have a single touchdown pass. His passer rating languished at 71.5 without improvement, and he was sacked four times, the last of which caused a safety that guaranteed some victory for the Browns.
"I’m pretty shocked," Lawrence said, acknowledging the poor offenses and his share of problems while playing. The 2022 season can be considered the first occasion since Lawrence’s rookie season 2021 when the Jaguars commenced a season with 0-2, reflecting his struggles as an NFL rookie.
It was expected that the team would do better, instead the performance has been sluggish, with just 30 points on two games and a very erratic offensive flow.
Lawrence Demands Accountability
"We know we've got a good group, we've got good players, and we can be a really good offense, but clearly we're not," Lawrence said. "Everybody has to take accountability, look in the mirror and fix it.
I've got to play better. I'm the leader of this offense. It's on me. "The wideouts have to play better, the line has to play better, running backs have to play better, we have to coach better. It's everybody, honestly." The schedule does not ease for Coach Doug Pederson’s team as they have to play the still-undefeated Buffalo Bills and the Houston Texans in their next matches.
"I don't think you hit the panic button," Pederson said. "There's a long season ahead. We've got to figure some things out in a hurry. We've got to coach some things and do some things. Each person has to look at themselves in the mirror, me included.
We've got to do better. It's disappointing. It's disappointing because there's glimpses of greatness out there, but it's not consistent enough." With a history in front of them - Jackson-ville’s 0-2 game start in the franchise’s history sealed any chances of making it to the playoffs - the Jaguars are pressured to find a way out of the rut because their chances are running out.
That begins with all of them looking back and internally assessing their strategies and the way they have performed so far.
English (US)