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Trevor Lawrence has career day on 25th birthday, Jaguars get first win of season vs. Colts
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- Trevor Lawrence has career day on 25th birthday, Jaguars get first win of season vs. Colts
Trevor Lawrence chose a good day to have the game of his life.
Or, at least one of them.
Lawrence completed 28 of 34 passes for 371 yards, two touchdowns and one interception in the team's 37-34 win over the Colts on Sunday .
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He did it on "Prowler Throwback" day and the day that the inaugural head coach and general manager Tom Coughlin officially got inducted into the Pride of the Jaguars , dedicated to the most impactful and best Jaguars in history.
First win of the season: Trevor Lawrence shines, gets Jaguars back on track with 37-34 win over Colts in Week 5
Oh, and it was his 25th birthday.
"It's always good to use these games to build confidence. Honestly, yeah, it gives you confidence moving forward for myself and the team," Lawrence said shortly after the game.
Trevor Lawrence posts career day on birthday
Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence (16) wipes his mouth after eating a cupcake on his 25th birthday after an NFL football matchup Sunday, Oct. 6, 2024 at EverBank Stadium in Jacksonville, Fla. The Jaguars edged the Colts on a field goal 37-34. [Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Union]
Lawrence threw for a career-high 371 yards. According to ESPN's Michael DiRocco , that's the third-most in NFL history by a player on their birthday. Only David Woodley (408) in 1981 and Brett Favre (390) in 1999 had better days.
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Lawrence's big day was a long time coming this season. Before Sunday, Lawrence completed just 53.3% of his passes for 729 yards and four touchdowns. His season-high for passing yards was 220 in Week 2 against the Cleveland Browns . He completed just 46.7% of his passes that day.
By all measurements, Lawrence was having the worst year, or at least tied for the worst start to a year of his NFL, college or prep career. Lawrence didn't blink, though. He never does, Jaguars receiver Christian Kirk said in the locker room shortly after the game.
"I always say nobody deserves it more. He weathers the storm, he doesn't blink and we all have the confidence in the world that he's going to come out here and have one of those games," Kirk said.
Lawrence was coming off a game against the Houston Texans that, while not his worst statistically of the season, was perhaps the most frustrating because of the missed opportunities.
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Lawrence took advantage of all opportunities Sunday. He tossed an 85-yard touchdown to rookie WR Brian Thomas Jr. and a deep middle-of-the-field pass to Christian Kirk for 61 yards, two players that he missed last week.
"I'm thankful that he did and when he does, good things happen for us. I know it's great for him and his confidence and for the confidence of the team, that he's going to lead us and get us to where we want to go," Kirk said.
Lawrence was kept clean throughout the night. He was pressured just once on his 34 dropbacks, according to DiRocco . The 2.9% pressure rate was the lowest in a game in his career. The two lowest pressure rates in his career have come against Indianapolis (pressured on 10% of dropbacks in Week 2 in 2022).
Besides the interception Lawrence threw and the Microsoft Surface tablet he "sat down firmly," as Lawrence said after the game, there wasn't much to pick apart about his performance.
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In the first quarter, Lawrence was seen via the CBS Broadcast having a heated argument with receiver Gabe Davis , something that can happen throughout a game. Before the altercation, Lawrence missed Davis on a third down, throwing short of the sticks instead of converting for a first down in Colts territory.
He was then said, according to the broadcast, to have thrown the tablet, which shows players replays and a sky view of specific plays after they get to the sideline. But, Lawrence said it happens.
"People that have played it know. People that haven't probably don't understand all the emotions that go into it. There was some frustration. We had a little back and forth and cleared it up. That's all it is," Lawrence said of his talk with Davis.
Lawrence said it was good to confront the issue right away, get on the same page and move on.
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For the Jaguars, they'll hope to bottle this performance up, take it with them to London over the next two weeks and keep winning.
Jaguars get back on track with win, happy to play complementary football
While the Jaguars are celebrating their performance Sunday against Indianapolis, they aren't taking that as the end-all-be-all of their season. At 1-4, there's way too much work to do to be satisfied.
Jaguars head coach Doug Pederson said after the game it wasn't just weight taken off of Lawrence's shoulders, but off of his and the team's shoulders, too.
"I think there's a weight off everybody's shoulders, right? It's not just him. It's a weight off my shoulders too. Now you guys can get off my tail for at least a week," Pederson said after the game.
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The Jaguars failed to finish three out of their first four games of the season. The team had a lead against the Dolphins in Week 1, a chance to win against the Browns in Week 2 and a 20-17 lead against the Houston Texans entering the fourth quarter last week. They didn't finish.
Against the Colts Sunday, the Jaguars had the ball with the game tied at 34-34 with 2:40 remaining. Driving from their own 30, Lawrence and the Jaguars got the ball to the Indianapolis 31, an eight-play, 39-yard drive to get into field goal range.
The team put it on rookie kicker Cam Little 's foot, converting a 49-yard game-winning field goal with 21 seconds left in the contest. It was a finishing win that the Jaguars have searched for all season.
"It's an opportunity to go win the game, and the sideline was into it. The guys were into it. They wanted the ball in their hands. The O-line wanted the ball. It's good for us to do that as a football team. I thought today was a really good complementary football game," Pederson said.
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"Three aspects. We had a nice punt return in there. Cam with his kicks. Logan [P Logan Cooke ] had a nice punt in there. Special teams did their part. The defense, obviously, came up huge. Travon [DE Travon Walker ], the three sacks today. The offense did their part. This is a really good complementary game today."
The Jaguars travel to London next week for back-to-back games there against the Chicago Bears (Week 6) and the New England Patriots (Week 7).
Demetrius Harvey is the Jacksonville Jaguars reporter for the Florida Times-Union. You can follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter, at @Demetrius82 .
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This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Trevor Lawrence unfazed on birthday vs. Colts, celebrates with win
