Week One of the 2022 NFL season has come and gone, and that means it's time for overreactions. Opening week brought several surprises and great games, giving fans a sneak peak at the chaos to come. However, one of the least surprising results was the Jacksonville Jaguars losing yet again.
That's not to say there weren't positives though, as the Jaguars looked better than last year's disaster. After falling behind to 14-3 to the Washington Commanders, Jacksonville reeled off 19 unanswered points to take a late lead. The defense also played pretty well, forcing three turnovers on the day.
Still, this game left a lot of questions for the Jaguars, many of them surrounding second-year quarterback Trevor Lawrence. The former first-overall pick had a decent statistical game, completing 24 of 42 passes for 275 yards, one touchdown and one interception. However, some plays left fans wanting more, and questions about his long term future linger.
Ugly INT by Trevor Lawrence when he still had a chance to win the game in the 4th. pic.twitter.com/PPUSUENU8O
— Dov Kleiman (@NFL_DovKleiman) September 11, 2022
Sure, the former Clemson superstar hasn't had the start to his career he may have wanted, but calling him a bust so early on is premature. There's still plenty to be optimistic about with Lawrence, and and here's just a few reasons why.
3. Doug Pederson should help his development
The Jaguars were an absolute disaster last year, there's no getting around it. By far the biggest part of said disaster was Urban Meyer, who had arguably the worst head coaching tenure in NFL history. In addition to poor performance on the field, Meyer made headlines off the field for all the wrong reasons nearly every week.
Rather than hiring another unproven coach, the Jaguars opted to replace Meyer with Super Bowl 52 champion Doug Pederson. Pederson's time with Philadelphia may have ended poorly, but he did great work prior to his final season. Under Pederson's guidance, the Eagles made the playoffs three straight years, won two NFC East titles, and won the franchise's first Super Bowl.
Part of Philadelphia's during Pederson's time was Carson Wentz, who, ironically, started for the Commanders against Pederson's Jaguars on Sunday. Contrary to his reputation now, Wentz was one of the best young quarterbacks in the league early in his career. His best season came in 2017, where he likely would have won MVP if not for a torn ACL late in the season.
Wentz has Pederson to thank, at least partially, for his strong seasons early on. While some may attribute his performance more to offensive coordinator Frank Reich, now head coach of the Colts, Pederson undoubtedly played a part in Wentz's growth. If he can do the same for Lawrence, then the quarterback could blossom under his mentorship.
2. Better weapons around him
Part of Lawrence's struggles as a rookie were due to the pass catchers around him. The Jaguars' rolled out a makeshift wide receiver core, with Marvin Jones, Lavish Shenault and Laquon Treadwell, all under 850 yards and five touchdowns, leading the way. The tight end room was even more underwhelming, with top two tight ends Dan Arnold and James O'Shaughnessy combining for less than 600 yards and zero touchdowns.
The Jaguars were one of the biggest spenders in free agency, and much of that went into upgrading the pass-catchers. Jacksonville signed Christian Kirk and Zay Jones to bolster the receiver core, plus Evan Engram at tight end. While the Jaguars lost Shenault and DJ Chark this offseason, the additions far outweighed the subtractions.
In the first game, Jacksonville's new additions already showed strong potential. Kirk had the best day, leading the team with six catches for 117 yards. Jones, six catches for 65 yards, and Engram, four catches for 28 yards, both had solid showings as well.
It will take time for Lawrence to build chemistry with his new weapons, but they've already shown flashes of what they could be. When they get more familiar with each other, Lawrence will blossom into a much more effective passer.
1. He still hasn't had a fair shot
As mentioned many times, Lawrence had all the cards stacked against him in his rookie season. With mediocre pass-catchers, a bad offensive line, and a horrible head coach, Lawrence's rookie season was doomed from the start. He may as well call 2021 “Year Zero” with how much was going against him.
Now that all three of those areas have improved, Lawrence has a fair chance to succeed this time around. He may not have had the best game against Washington, but he still played better than many games last season. Progress is progress, and Lawrence certainly showed progress on Sunday.
Even if Lawrence's performance was subpar, is it really fair to write him off after the first game of the season? Fans doubting Lawrence need to chill out just a bit and let Lawrence show what he can really be.
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