Replace: “We believe in who we are…”
JACKSONVILLE – Trevor Lawrence likes the big picture, if not the most recent past.
Confidence, therefore, remains high for the second-year quarterback – and for the Jaguars overall – as a key AFC South home game approaches.
“We really believe in who we are,” Lawrence said.
Lawrence on Wednesday said that remains true even after a 29-21 to the unbeaten Philadelphia Eagles this past Sunday, a game the Jaguars led 14-0 and one in which he committed five turnovers.
“We know we’re heading in the right direction; it’s just about consistency,” Lawrence said as the AFC South-leading Jaguars (2-2) prepared to play the Houston Texans (0-3-1) at TIAA Bank Field Sunday at 1 p.m. “It’s the way we work, our process – we trust that. It has been paying off for us.”
The Jaguars, who are tied for the lead in the AFC South with the Tennessee Titans, responded to their lone previous loss of the season – Week 1 at Washington – with a shutout home victory over the Indianapolis Colts. They can move to 2-0 in the division with a victory Sunday.
“Hopefully, we don’t make too much of a habit of having to bounce back,” wide receiver Christian Kirk said. “But that’s the mentality for this team and the kind of guys we have. We always say, ‘When things don’t go right, it’s us shooting ourselves in the foot.’ We’ve been eager to get back out there on the practice field. We had a good day today.
“We want to finish the week strong and come out and make a statement Sunday.”
The Jaguars have led by at least eight points in every game this season. They lost an eight-point fourth-quarter lead in a 26-22 loss to Washington, beat the Colts (24-0) and Los Angeles Chargers (38-10) in Weeks 2-3, then allowed 29 consecutive Eagles points before a late rally fell short.
“We still have a long way to go to get to where we want to be as far as playing our best football at the end of the year,” Lawrence said. “We’ve played some really good football early and played not-so-great at times, too. There’s so much to build on – good and bad.”
Lawrence said the key is using the experiences of Weeks 1-4 “to be more consistent.”
“There are always things you can do to be more consistent,” Lawrence said. “It’s managing all the situations. We’re a young team. I feel like we’re getting a lot of great experience. We’re just going to continue to learn.”
Lawrence, the No. 1 overall selection in the 2021 NFL Draft, threw one interception Sunday but lost an NFL-record four fumbles in the rainy, cold conditions.
“We all know as players what that winning performance looks like,” he said. “For myself, that wasn’t it on Sunday. You just grow from it and you learn.”
Added Kirk, “I told him after the game, ‘One person can’t win a football game. That’s on all of us.’ We just didn’t play good football. You learn from it. That’s the process I go through. I know he does it. It doesn’t linger. I don’t anticipate any type of dropoff in him.”
Lawrence, after throwing 12 touchdowns and 17 interceptions last season, has eight touchdowns and two interceptions through four games this season and said Wednesday he feels he has progressed significantly from last season.
“I obviously didn’t play well Sunday, so that’s not where I want to be,” he said. “I’m not letting that affect me at all. I know I have to play better. But if you look at the year as a whole, I know I’ve made a lot of steps in the right direction and I know I’ve improved a lot.
“The quarterback has to play well to win in this league. We all understand it. If I can stay consistent and keep taking those steps, I really believe in this team.”
- Defensive end Foley Fatukasi on the Wednesday injury report was listed as not practicing with Head Coach Doug Pederson Wednesday morning calling him “day to day,” and adding: “We’re just kind of resting him today and we’ll see where he is at [Thursday] and Friday.” Fatukasi sustained the injury in last Sunday’s loss to the Eagles.
- Also: wide receiver Zay Jones (ankle), outside linebacker K’Lavon Chaisson (ankle) and guard Cole Van Lanen (hamstring) returned to practice on a limited basis Wednesday after missing Sunday.
