The Jacksonville Jaguars are in a great spot as they enter their well-earned bye week.
The Jaguars are 4-2 and have already gotten through the most difficult part of their schedule.
Jacksonville has already beaten a pair of AFC contenders, the New England Patriots and Cincinnati Bengals, as well as the surprising 4-2 Cleveland Browns. They also earned a tough win over the Philadelphia Eagles, who began the season as Super Bowl contenders but have since had injuries derail their season.
The Jaguars' only losses came on the road against the Denver Broncos in Week 2 and a last-second 34-31 defeat at the hands of the Houston Texans in Week 6.
The loss to the Texans was especially disappointing, as it cost Jacksonville an opportunity to open up a four-game lead on the team many thought would surpass them in the AFC South this year.
Despite the loss, the Jaguars are still comfortably atop the division and have proven they belong among the NFL’s elite.
Trevor Lawrence has also proven he belongs among the NFL’s elite quarterbacks and that his MVP finalist season a year ago was no fluke.
Despite throwing for 306 yards and four touchdowns against the Texans, Lawrence dropped in the weekly MVP rankings on NFL.com.
Lawrence Falls To Fourth
Normally, having a game with over 300 passing yards and four touchdowns should have a quarterback catapulting up MVP rankings. However, not only did Lawrence's big numbers come in a tough divisional loss, but he was also outplayed by his counterpart, C.J. Stroud.
Kevin Patra highlighted Lawrence's brutal interception against Houston as a huge reason for the loss. The interception came two plays after an atrocious holding call on tight end Brenton Strange wiped out a Jacksonville touchdown.
"If not for a few crucial turnovers, Lawrence could have his Jags undefeated and at the top of this list. The QB threw a ghastly red zone INT in the first half in London but remains an efficient passer, ranking fourth in EPA per dropback (0.21). Lawrence has authored some of the season's most impressive tight window passes. If he wasn’t playing this well, the Jags would be hanging out under .500 like the rest of the AFC South. Against man coverage, Lawrence went 9 of 13 for 115 yards and three touchdowns against the Texans, tying his career high for TDs against man coverage in a game."
Even with the loss, Lawrence is still having a fantastic season. His 14 passing TDs are tied for the league lead. Lawrence has also thrown for 1,480 yards in Jacksonville's six games and has only four interceptions.
Lawrence trails only Brock Purdy, Kenneth Walker III, and Josh Allen in the rankings.
Walker has enjoyed an absolutely fantastic start with his new team, the Kansas City Chiefs, becoming only the second player since 1970 to score multiple TDs in four of the first five games of the season (Calvin Johnson was the other). Walker's tremendous Week 6 resulted in him jumping Lawrence in the rankings.
Final Thoughts
The Jaguars are getting exactly what they hoped for from Lawrence this season.
If he continues to play the way he has through the first six games, and Jacksonville continues to rack up wins, Lawrence will be a solid bet to be an MVP finalist for the second straight season.