One would think that an opposing defensive coordinator would be licking their chops against the Jacksonville Jaguars’ offense. The unit has struggled to get much going in the passing game with its depth at receiver being pushed to the limit, and the ground game hasn’t been able to pick up the slack as James Robinson has been a bit limited with heel and knee injuries in recent weeks.
But Atlanta’s Dean Pees is not looking past this offense, and there’s one reason why: rookie quarterback Trevor Lawrence. It hasn’t been the best start to his NFL career, but he’s been much more efficient with the ball recently, throwing just one interception in the last five games.
Pees said Lawrence is as capable as any passer in the NFL.
“We’ve packed the paint this year against some guys who we didn’t think could throw outside,” Pees said, according to Josh Kendall of The Athletic. “I don’t know what throw this guy can’t make. All he’s lacking is experience in the NFL.”
Lawrence’s numbers don’t exactly paint the picture of a standout rookie season. He’s completing just 58% of his passes, and he’s thrown more interceptions (nine) than touchdowns (eight). But as mentioned above, he’s cut down on the turnovers quite a bit in recent weeks, and his completion numbers would be considerably better if it weren’t for dropped passes, which have been a problem this season.
He’s made some impressive throws this year, and it’s interesting that despite a lot of the negative noise around his season, he seems to be garnering some respect from NFL defensive coaches. Lawrence will look to find success against a Falcons passing defense that is allowing nearly 250 yards per game, and as fans witnessed earlier this season against Cincinnati, he could turn that momentum into a respectable stretch of games.
