It only took six weeks and an intercontinental flight, but Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence has his first win as a professional quarterback.
The rookie isn’t very accustomed to losing. He was undefeated during the regular season as a college starter, and his two losses were in the College Football Playoffs. But as a professional on a team that went 1-15 in 2020, he lost in his first five tries.
Things were different in London on Sunday, though. The Jaguars had a 10-point deficit in the second quarter, but they fought back to take the lead in the second half. With the game knotted at 20 with one second left, kicker Matthew Wright booted a 53-yard field goal through the uprights to give the team its first win of the season.
“We just stayed together, there was ups and downs,” Lawrence told CBS’s Melanie Collins after the game. “That’s what we’re all learning. We got a young team… you’re going to have to play a complete game to win, and we did that today.”
Lawrence played a major role in the victory. While he did give the ball away once on a strip-sack, he didn’t throw any interceptions while tossing for 319 yards and a touchdown.
The Jags stopped Miami on a 4th-and-goal before the go-ahead field goal, and Lawrence completed two quick passes to Laviska Shenault Jr. to get the ball in range.
“We knew if we got another chance, we were going to go win the game,” Lawrence said. “I think that confidence is starting to build within our locker room.”
The Jags will certainly hope that’s the case, because the team heads into a tough stretch of games now. After the bye, it faces Seattle on the road and Buffalo and San Francisco at home in three of its next four games.
This offense is showing signs of life, and Lawrence is improving consistently. But his development will be put to the test against good teams in the coming weeks.