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Michael DiRocco
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Trevor Lawrence and Travis Etienne Jr. have played four seasons together with the Jacksonville Jaguars after three seasons together at Clemson, but at no point has Etienne seen Lawrence play as well as he has over the past two months.
And especially not the way he played against the New York Jets on Sunday.
Lawrence threw for 330 yards and a career-high five touchdowns and ran for another in the Jaguars’ 48-20 rout at EverBank Stadium. That makes him the only player in NFL history with five or more passing TDs, one or more rushing TDs, and at least 50 rushing yards in a single game, per ESPN Research.
«I don’t think I ever seen Trevor like this,» Etienne said. «We won a national championship together and I feel like he’s just out there.
«He’s on fire, man.»
So are the Jaguars (10-4). The victory over the Jets was their fifth in a row, four of which have been by 17 or more points, and the run has them sitting with a 99% chance to make the playoffs and 65% chance to win the AFC South, per ESPN Analytics. They have a one-game lead in the division over the Houston Texans heading into next Sunday’s game in Denver.
One of his completions after the injury was a 33-yarder to Parker Washington on a third-and-10 play. Lawrence had to evade pressure, rolled to his left, and unloaded the pass just before getting hit by Jets edge rusher Will McDonald IV. Washington ran under the ball and made a sliding catch at the Jets’ 15-yard line.
As he jogged downfield after the play, Lawrence looked over at the sideline and gave a Michael Jordan-like shrug.
«That’s him being a football player and making a play. So yeah, I would say that he was one of his better performances that I’ve seen,» coen said.
As for what Etienne said, Lawrence indicated his confidence — in the offensive system and the players around him — is at an all-time high.
«There’s been times where I’ve felt that way but definitely this is as confident as I’ve felt,» he said. «Just the feeling in our locker room and our team and our offense, it’s been fun. So we have to continue to build on that and can’t get complacent. There’s still a lot more ahead of us. Some big games are coming up, so we have to continue to push and get better.»
