Big Cat Country
How about the freaking Jaguars?
Jacksonville traveled out to Denver – a team riding an 11-game win streak and the league’s best red zone defense – and won, 34-20, while converting on four of five trips in the red zone. The win didn’t clinch the playoffs just yet, but it sure as hell put Jacksonville in the driver’s seat with two games to go in the regular season.
This isn’t the Jags of old. This isn’t the Jags of last year or even a few weeks ago. This is a Jags team that’s as hot as any in the league and hasn’t lost in five straight games. With an 11-4 record, Liam Coen’s bunch is humming at the right time with two easily winnable games left on the schedule at Indianapolis and at home against the Titans.
It hasn’t felt like this in a long, long time. And the Jags seemingly are just getting started.
WINNERS
Trevor Lawrence
There is one central theme to this win streak the Jaguars are on. That theme is incredible quarterback play.
The Jaguars are winners of 11 games so far this year because in the last six of them, they have had the best quarterback on the field. In the past two games alone, Lawrence has accounted for 10 total touchdowns. Lawrence hasn’t thrown a pick in four weeks. Up against one of the NFL’s best all-around defenses on the road, Lawrence went ahead and tossed for 279 yards and three touchdowns while running in a score.
Coen has done an incredible job building up Lawrence into the quarterback he’s supposed to be. A ton of the credit goes there. But Coen can only do so much. At the end of the day, it’s up to Lawrence to dive for late first downs and absolutely missile balls into a receiver’s gut in the red zone.
Since Week 13, Lawrence has gone for over 1,000 yards in the air. He has 14 total touchdowns. That’s winning football towards the end of the season and that’s true and utter development from the franchise QB. Lawrence’s first two touchdowns against the Broncos should have sent a shockwave through that stadium that Lawrence was there to play.
There still will be the Richard Shermans of the world who don’t watch the Jags play and don’t care to talk positively about Lawrence because in the past he has never hit this level of consistency. Ask Travon Walker how he feels about those people. For those of us who actually watch and actually are witnessing what Lawrence is doing, it’s a thing of beauty.
That win over Denver showed the Jags are a legitimate playoff team with a legitimate quarterback to lead them. It feels so nice to say that.
Liam Coen
If this guy isn’t in the top two for NFL Coach of the Year, then something is wrong.
The Jacksonville Jaguars are Liam Coen and Liam Coen is the Jacksonville Jaguars. Teams are supposed to embody their coach,...
