JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (AP) — Trevor Lawrence will have to wait a few days, at the very least, to address his latest debacle.
Lawrence fumbled twice in Jacksonville’s 23-7 home loss to Baltimore on Sunday night and made a head-scratching throw short of the end zone in the waning seconds of the first half. He ended the night in the NFL’s concussion protocol and was not allowed to speak to reporters afterward.
It was the Jaguars’ third consecutive loss and dropped them into a tie with Houston and Indianapolis atop the AFC South at 8-6.
“Again, we can’t get out of our way,” Jaguars coach Doug Pederson said. “That’s the frustrating part because we do some really good things, and then it’s a play two or here and there that keep us from scoring.”
Lawrence completed 25 of 43 passes for 264 yards, with a 65-yard touchdown pass to Jamal Agnew as one of his few highlights. He also led the team with 41 yards rushing.
But his miscues stood out.
The Jaguars had four scoring chances in the first half but failed to cash in on any of them. They managed 181 yards, which was the most by a team in an opening half this season that did not score.
Brandon McManus missed two field goals from beyond 50 yards, and Lawrence inexplicably fumbled at the Baltimore 18-yard line. Lawrence simply lost the ball while scrambling on a third-and-17 play. He wasn’t going to pick up the first down, but Jacksonville surely was in makeable range for McManus.
Lawrence’s second mistake was even odder. After connecting with Zay Jones for 36 yards and putting the Jaguars at the 5 with 15 seconds remaining in the half, Lawrence probably should have spiked the ball and stopped the clock. Instead, he threw a short out to rookie Parker Washington, who couldn’t get out of bounds and helplessly watched the clock run out.
“We’re going to stay aggressive. We’ve scored before in those situations. It was just a mistake, I think, by Trevor, obviously, knowing the situation and knowing how much time is left right there,” Pederson said. “It’s a great learning experience for us from the standpoint of don’t throw it inbounds to be tackled in that situation.
“We’re learn from that one, but just another great opportunity for us to try to get in the end zone.”
Add it all up, and the Jaguars could have been up 16-10 at intermission. Instead, they trailed 10-0.
Jacksonville has all sorts of issues, none of them Lawrence’s fault but all causing issues for the QB. The Jaguars’ offensive line has been banged up and shuffled all season, and Lawrence is without Christian Kirk and lost fellow receiver Zay Jones to a hamstring injury late against Baltimore (10-3).
They’ve been unable to get much going on the ground. Throw in missed field goals, turnovers and penalties, and Lawrence’s path to sustained success has been filled with potholes.
“I don’t see us pressing,” Pederson said. “I just think that it’s a matter of just we have to understand that the No. 1 thing out there is the football — pre-snap penalties and the football. That’s the one thing that’s kind of plagued us all season.
“We’re just giving points away, and it’s hard. We’re making it too hard.”
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