Jacksonville Jaguars' QB Trevor Lawrence on the run for yardage against the New Orleans Saints during the first half of an NFL football game in New Orleans on Thursday, October 19, 2023.
New Orleans hasn’t been an easy place for Trevor Lawrence. He lost two of his three games as Clemson’s quarterback at the Caesars Superdome. In his second preseason game with the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2021, he also faced a loss. So, despite a sprained knee, he was determined to play against the New Orleans Saints on Thursday night.
Jaguars’ Victory in New Orleans
The Jacksonville Jaguars secured a 31-24 victory, with Lawrence connecting with Christian Kirk for the winning touchdown pass. Lawrence expressed his relief, saying, “I’ve had a bad taste in my mouth every time I’ve left New Orleans, so it feels good to get a win here.”
Reflecting on College Playoff Losses
For Lawrence, the pain of losing the two College Football Playoff games still lingers: the national championship game against LSU in 2019 and the semifinal game against Ohio State in his last college game. Despite those losses, he maintained a remarkable 34-2 record as a starter.
Quick Recovery and Superdome Win
Lawrence secured his first Superdome victory just four days after injuring his knee in a game against Indianapolis. It seemed unlikely he would play earlier in the week, but his knee improved as the days went by. After a successful pregame warmup, he was given the green light to play.
He admitted to feeling some pain in his knee, but he didn’t wear a brace during his postgame interview and stated that he got through the game fine.
“It felt pretty good,” he said. “I was happy with it, and it didn’t bother me too much. It didn’t set me back, so I’m really pleased with how it went. The goal was to win the game and not worsen the injury, and now we have 10 days to recover and prepare for Pittsburgh. It went perfectly, honestly, so that’s a positive.”
Lawrence’s Impressive Stats
Lawrence threw for 204 yards and had a career-high 63 rushing yards on five carries. Surprisingly, he outperformed Alvin Kamara by 1 yard as the game’s leading rusher.
“It wasn’t the plan, but instincts took over, and I’m glad I was able to hold up and feel good enough to make those plays,” he said, referring to his knee.
Coaches’ Praise for Lawrence
Lawrence didn’t train on Monday, with backup quarterback C.J. Beathard taking most of the first-team reps in training on Tuesday and Wednesday. This made his performance against the Saints even more remarkable, according to head coach Doug Pederson.
“This is a short week, and on Monday, I would have said he wasn’t playing in this football game,” Pederson said. “But that’s not who Trevor is. I’m proud of his effort, his ability to escape the pocket and run. Fortunately, they were straightforward runs; he didn’t have to make too many cuts. But there were a lot of gutsy performances out there, and he is probably the top one.”
Travis Etienne Jr.’s Milestone Victory
Lawrence wasn’t the only former Clemson standout to secure his first Superdome victory that night. Running back Travis Etienne Jr., who ran for 53 yards and two touchdowns, became the first player in franchise history to score multiple TDs in three consecutive games. He had previously gone 0-3, including two losses with Lawrence at Clemson and one against Alabama in a college football semifinal game in 2017.
This report used information from ESPN.
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