It was 2-and-4. Quarterback Trevor Lawrence took the snap, turned his back to the goal, and faked a handoff to running back Travis Etienne Jr. But Etienne never received the ball. Instead, he took off blocking while Lawrence turned around and fired a pass to the end zone. Touchdown.
Jacksonville dismantled the Jets 48-20, and the star passer finished with five touchdown passes, one rushing touchdown, 51 rushing yards, and zero interceptions. He became the first player in NFL history to record at least five passing touchdowns and one rushing touchdown while also rushing for more than 50 yards. It was the Jaguars’ fifth consecutive win.
Climbing from the rock bottom
“I don't think I’ve ever seen Trev like this, and we won a national championship together,” said Etienne for ESPN. The two of them were teammates at Clemson. “He’s on fire. You’ve seen it. The growth that I’ve seen from him is just unbelievable.”
It was Lawrence’s masterclass. He made the right reads regardless of the coverage. Everything looked effortless. He was in complete command. That was the story throughout Jacksonville's late-season surge - and into the spring.
In the 2024 season, the Jacksonville Jaguars posted a disappointing, nearly horrific 4-13 record. They finished third in the AFC South and won only one road game. The Jaguars were not even close to reaching the postseason berth. The franchise competed in the playoffs just twice since 2007.
To reverse the team's fortunes, Jacksonville fired head coach Doug Pederson and hired Liam Coen. Last offseason, Lawrence had a lot to think about. Following the coaching change, he had to learn a new offense. The playmaker was also recovering from a shoulder injury that required surgery in December. Overall, it was a less-than-ideal time for the franchise quarterback.
This summer has been different. No injuries forcing time off and recovery. No new offense and plays. Just an opportunity to relax and rest, then prepare for this upcoming season. Pick it up right where the Jaguars left it. And be even better.
“Last year there was a lot more to take in, and your mind is racing a little bit because you’re thinking about a lot,” Lawrence said. “It’s just a lot calmer.”
Cut it loose
Coen wasted no time transforming Jacksonville. The team turned heads with a 9-win turnaround in 2025 - the Jaguars started the year with a win over the Carolina Panthers before falling to the Cincinnati Bengals. They then went 4-3 over their next seven games. After a Week 10 loss to the Houston Texans, Coen challenged his team to "cut it loose" and play more freely.
“Let’s go out and cut it loose for four quarters, as a team, and see what happens,” said Coen. “Let's just go cut it loose, man. I don’t want to think about what could happen, what should happen, what happened on the play before, what’s going to happen three plays from now. Just play in the moment, stay in the moment, pick each other up when something bad happens and let's move on as a team.”
He addressed Lawrence, too. He told him that he was making the right reads, calling the right audibles, and making good choices. Yet, he wasn’t playing as free as Coen imagined. Something was missing. After that talk, everything changed.
Lawrence’s passing took off. New level unlocked. Until that point, the Jaguars averaged 24 points per game through the first 11 weeks. Then, they surged to a massive season finish, winning the final seven games of the season and averaging 34.4 points per game until the end of the year. Only the Los Angeles Rams recorded more points per game - 35.1.
The Jaguars won the AFC South Division and finished third in the AFC. This time, there was no doubt about them punching their postseason ticket. The third-seeded Jacksonville hosted the sixth-seeded Buffalo Bills. In a neck-to-neck thriller, the Bills, led by then-reigning MVP Josh Allen, outlasted the Jaguars 27-24 and ended their hopes of a deep playoff run.
“When your quarterback’s that type of warrior, that type of competitor, it just goes through the whole team,” Bills coach Sean McDermott said.
“Such a competitor,” said Jaguars coach Liam Coen. “He was spitting it out pretty good, obviously. He definitely carried them.”
Reaching new heights
Lawrence - completing his sixth season in the NFL - tallied 4,007 passing yards, 2,157 rushing yards, 359 carries, and 29 passing touchdowns. His completion percentage was 60.9%, and he earned a rating of 91. And the final stretch of the latest season indicated one thing – most likely, the best is yet to come.
“A lot more confident in my progressions and what I know about the system, so when I get on the grass it’s a lot less thinking,” Lawrence said. “The biggest thing is I can react, play faster, can work on some different things of my game because the focus isn’t as much on what to do and what’s the play call and what are all the adjustments. I know all that stuff and still study that and work on it because it’s easy to forget little details, but as far as being able to work on more detailed things with the receivers and the communication, we’re a lot further ahead this year.”
For Jacksonville, the results speak for themselves. After a dismal four-victory season, Coen delivered an immediate divisional championship. A true team identity. And unlocked something in Lawrence’s mind that now allows him to carry the team and play like one of the best playmakers in the NFL. Last year, he finished fifth in the MVP voting.
Now, the team is coming off one of the best stretches in franchise history and without coaching changes to worry about. Instead, they've spent the offseason refining the details and sharpening their execution.
“The other day he goes out and makes a protection call that we haven’t called or really gone through with the group in months because it hadn’t really been used since the season,” said offensive coordinator Grant Udinski. “And he goes out there and calls it, and the guys are able to execute it. That was encouraging just to see him go out there and kind of pick up right where we left off in the fall.”
The Jaguars no longer enter the season searching for answers. They have their coach, their identity and, most importantly, a quarterback playing the best football of his career. If last season's late surge was the beginning rather than the peak, Jacksonville may have only scratched the surface of what this team - and Trevor Lawrence - can become.
