Losing streaks are nothing new to Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence.
The No. 1 pick in 2021, Lawrence lost his first five starts that year and later endured an eight-game skid. Jacksonville went through another five-game slump in 2022 and posted a four-game losing streak last December.
But he didn’t see Jacksonville’s 0-4 start coming in 2024. Lawrence said Wednesday he doesn’t believe the Jaguars’ preparation equates to his personal nine-start losing streak dating to last season.
“Being a rookie and pretty naive, I didn’t understand the situation either. At this point even in ’21, we lost a close one in Cincinnati on Thursday night, lost on a walk-off field goal to Cincinnati that ended up going to the Super Bowl that year,” Lawrence said Wednesday. “We’ve got to go win games. I have a lot of faith in this group.”
The Jaguars are donning throwback jerseys to the 1994 expansion franchise iteration and are home for only the second time in five games this week against the Indianapolis Colts (2-2).
Head coach Doug Pederson said Wednesday he’s not concerned players are tuning him out, or that he’s “lost the locker room.”
“I would know, I talk to these guys everyday. No, I haven’t lost the locker room,” Pederson said. “They continue to do everything I ask. The right leaders are in there.”
Streaking is part of the path for the Jaguars in recent seasons, but only one NFL team has gone from 0-4 to the playoffs. The 1992 San Diego Chargers, who eventually lost to the 49ers in the Super Bowl.
In 2022, the Jaguars started 2-1, then lost five in a row. But they closed on a five-game winning streak to win the AFC South and reach the postseason and deliver a dramatic comeback (31-30) to knock off the Chargers.
Lawrence said he still believes the Jaguars are close to rattling off a streak in the other direction. But the issues are many.
Outscored 109-60 through Week 4, Jacksonville ranks 25th in the NFL in total offense and 30th in total defense.
Lawrence, sacked 12 times in 2024, is completing just 53.3 percent of his passes.
After leading the Dolphins in Week 1, missing a chance — due to penalty — to take the lead over the Browns in Week 2 and losing a lead again last week at Houston, Pederson is preaching situational execution.
That also applies to Lawrence. He’s completing 38.5 percent of his passes in the fourth quarter (10 of 26) and 46.2 percent in the red zone this season.
It’s the red zone where Jaguars running back Travis Etienne said Jacksonville has allowed wins to turn into losses. He also had a big hand in the current streak, fumbling away a chance to score and sparking the Dolphins’ rally in Week 1.
“I’ve dealt with a few of these in my career unfortunately. It’s never fun. You have to be thick-skinned. You have to be persistent when you’re in a situation like this. Keep your head down and keep working,” Lawrence said. “I’ve been on teams where we’ve come out of it, where we won six straight after we lost five straight. It’s a long season. You just have to keep playing. You can’t sulk in the past either. We’re at where we’re at. … It just takes one.”
–Field Level Media
