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Who's been better? Comparing Jaguars' Trevor Lawrence and Dolphins' Tua Tagovailoa
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- Who's been better? Comparing Jaguars' Trevor Lawrence and Dolphins' Tua Tagovailoa
The Jacksonville Jaguars face off against the Miami Dolphins at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens (Fla.) this Sunday at 1 p.m. The Week 1 affair could dictate either team's first half of the season.
Jacksonville believes it is headed in the right direction after signing four players to big-money contract extensions including quarterback Trevor Lawrence , cornerback Tyson Campbell , linebacker Foye Oluokun and defensive end Josh Hines-Allen .
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Miami has similar ideas in mind after reworking a deal with receiver Tyreek Hill and signing their quarterback, Tua Tagovailoa to a massive contract extension, locking in the franchise QB alongside head coach Mike McDaniel who is now signed through the 2028 season — the final year of Tagovailoa's deal.
Jacksonville Jaguars offense preview: Is Trevor Lawrence safe behind this offensive line?
The Jaguars expect Lawrence to rise to the occasion and live up to his contract, as do the Dolphins with Tagovailoa.
But, neither quarterback has truly cemented themselves among the NFL's elite, both at the cusp of greatness but never able to make it over the hump.
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The question for this game though, is who will be the better QB when the clocks hit 0:00? Who has been the better QB since Lawrence was drafted with the first overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft?
Last meeting: Trevor Lawrence owns series record over Tua Tagovailoa
Oct 17, 2021; London, England, United Kingdom; Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence (16) throws the ball under pressure from Miami Dolphins nose tackle Adam Butler (70) in the fourth quarter during an NFL International Series game at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. The Jaguars defeated the Dolphins 23-20. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
The two quarterbacks have faced off just one time since Lawrence joined the big leagues. Lawrence's Jaguars took down Tagovailoa's Dolphins 23-20 in 2021. The win marked Lawrence's first-ever as a Jaguar during the Urban Meyer era. It took place in London at Tottenham Stadium, the first time the team played at the venue.
While Jacksonville had the upper hand in the end, Lawrence didn't necessarily outplay his Miami counterpart. Lawrence completed 25 of 41 passes for 319 yards and one touchdown. Tagovailoa completed 33 of 47 passes for 329 yards, two touchdowns and one interception. The two QBs were nearly identical in stats.
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Still, Lawrence drove the team down the field twice to close out the game with two long field goals made by then-Jaguars kicker Matthew Wright, giving Jacksonville the win.
Stat comparison: Who has played better, Trevor Lawrence or Tua Tagovailoa?
Lawrence and Tagovailoa aren't dissimilar in terms of their careers thus far.
Both quarterbacks have earned one Pro Bowl nod, Lawrence in 2022 and Tagovailoa in 2023. Lawrence holds a playoff advantage with one playoff win. Tagovailoa lost his one playoff appearances in 2023. He was out injured the year before, when Skylar Thompson started a playoff game and lost.
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Tagovailoa was drafted with the fifth pick in the 2020 NFL Draft, one year before Lawrence entered the league.
For that reason, we've compared the two QBs since 2021 to give a clearer picture of how they match up against one another.
| Statistic |
Trevor Lawrence |
Tua Tagovailoa |
|---|---|---|
| Head to head |
1-0 |
0-1 |
| Games played |
50 |
43 |
| AV (Pro Football Reference) |
35 |
35 |
| QB W/L record |
20-30 |
26-16 |
| Completion % |
63.8 |
67.5 |
| Pass yards |
11,770 |
10,825 |
| Pass YPA |
6.7 |
8.0 |
| Pass Y/G |
235.4 |
251.7 |
| Touchdowns |
58 |
70 |
| Interceptions |
39 |
32 |
| QB rating |
85.0 |
99.2 |
| Rush attempts |
205 |
100 |
| Rush yards |
964 |
272 |
| Ruch Y/A |
4.7 |
2.7 |
| Rush TD |
11 |
3 |
| Pro Bowl Apperances |
1 |
1 |
Stats provided by stathead.com
While Lawrence holds the head-to-head record over Tagovailoa, the latter owns almost all other statistics, including win-loss record, completion percentage, passing yards per attempt, yards per game, touchdowns, interceptions and quarterback rating.
Lawrence tops Tagovailoa in the head-to-head record, passing yards, rushing attempts, rushing yards, rushing yards per attempt and touchdowns. Both players have the same approximate value, according to Pro Football Reference . PFR says the AV method is an attempt to put a single number on the se ason value of a player at any position from any year.
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Lawrence's value comes via his clutch wins and late-season heroics from the 2022 campaign. That season, Lawrence posted four quarterback comebacks, leading the team with two game-winning drives in the regular season.
Lawrence's real heroics came during the playoffs, though. After throwing four interceptions, going down 28-0 in the first half against the Los Angeles Chargers , Lawrence and the Jaguars stormed back to win 31-28 on a last-second field goal. It's then that Lawrence was essentially christened in Jacksonville as the savior of the franchise.
Tagovailoa hasn't had as much success in the postseason. After missing the playoffs due to injury in 2022, Tagovailoa returned in 2023, but it didn't lead to success. He completed just 20 of 39 passes (51.3%) for 199 yards, one touchdown and one interception against the Kansas City Chiefs in a 26-7 lopsided loss.
Comparing dollars: Trevor Lawrence, Tua Tagovailoa receive similar contract extensions
Aug 23, 2024; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence (16) gestures on the field during the game against the Atlanta Falcons during the first half at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports
Both Lawrence and Tagovailoa received massive contract extensions this summer.
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Lawrence signed a five-year, $275 million contract extension which includes $200 million guaranteed with $142 million guaranteed at signing.
Lawrence's deal runs through the end of his rookie contract and fifth-year option in 2024 and 2025 through the 2030 season, locking him in Jacksonville for the next seven seasons.
Tagovailoa on the other hand inked a four-year, $212.4 million with a potential upside of $221.4 million. Tagovailoa received a total guarantee of $167.171. The extension with the Dolphins runs through the 2028 season. The deal includes Tagovailoa's fifth-year option this year giving him five full seasons to prove the Dolphins right.
Lawrence's deal comes in at $55 million per year, the highest among all quarterbacks tied with Green Bay Packers QB Jordan Love and Cincinnati Bengals QB Joe Burrow . Tagovailoa's deal comes in at $53.1 million, ranking second behind the trio of Lawrence, Love and Burrow.
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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: How do Jaguars' Trevor Lawrence, Dolphins' Tua Tagovalioa compare?
