Moeller: Lawrence and Jaguars Need To Put Ugly Wins Behind Them

 Jacksonville squeaked by Arizona last Sunday in an ugly, overtime win. Now, it’s a must win in Tennessee this Sunday.

Against Arizona, it was the type of game that the Jaguars would typically lose in the past few years. But they pulled it out with Cam Little’s 52-yard field goal. 

In Las Vegas a few weeks ago, the Jags had another ugly, overtime game, keeping the Raiders in the game until the very end.  

A failed two-point conversion for the win from Raiders’ quarterback Geno Smith, who missed a wide open receiver in the back of the end zone, sent them home with a reprieve from Sin City. It was another game they could have easily lost, and let slip away.

Maybe that’s saying something for this Jaguars’ team. They may just have the mogo to be a playoff team and get back to the level where they were in 2022. The Jags have found some much-needed resiliency and grit. Still, you don't want to be continuously tempting fate.

If they are to get back to where they once were, it will mostly hang on quarterback Trevor Lawrence.

The Jags managed to survive against Arizona despite Lawrence’s four turnovers. His lost fumble led to an Arizona score, and his three interceptions kept the Cardinals in the game.

Lawrence has 24 career fumbles, more than any other active quarterback, and his 11 interceptions this season are only bested by Smith and Miami’s Tua Tagovailoa, who both have 13 His 59.8 completion percentage in ninth worst in the league.

In his defense, Lawrence, who has 14 touchdown passes, did his part to keep the Jags in the game against Arizona by firing a beautiful back-of -the-end-zone bullet to Parker Washington, and earlier tucked a nice pass into Jakobi Meyers for a score.

Lawrence also has benefitted from the resurgence of his running game behind Travis Etienne and rookie Bhayshul Tuten. Etienne should eclipse the 1,00-yard barrier  in the next two weeks, and he should also pass his season career-high of 1,125 yards he had as a rookie in 2022.  

However, needing to pull a game out against a team that you should easily beat will wear out soon. Lawrence has to take the lead here. A week earlier at home, the Jags dominated a rising Chargers’ team that is currently a fifth playoff seed. 

For Lawrence and his teammates in Tennessee this weekend, they need to produce a dominant win over the 1-10 Titans, who are an overall  mess. Defensively, though, they are 19 against the pass, and 25th against the run. 

Titans’ quarterback Cam Ward, despite his seven touchdowns and six interceptions, still should be considered a threat.

It will come down to the Jags avoiding another ugly win in the closing moments. This should be a double-digit win, and they can’t be looking ahead to a home showdown with the division-leading Colts next weekend. 

At 7-4, Jacksonville enters this weekend as the sixth seed in the playoff picture. Over their six remaining games, the Jags can control their own destiny, and they should be in the postseason.

 

Behind Lawrence, the Jags need to put the ugly wins behind them, and it needs to start Sunday in Tennessee.