Seamus Carr brings you all the biggest storylines from Week 15, including one young quarterback finally living up to expectations and another joining an elite and exclusive club.
Jaguars Roar Back And Win In OT
Last week, this article touched on the Jacksonville Jaguars and their big win in Week 14. In Week 15, they followed up with an even bigger victory against one of the major contenders in the NFC, the Dallas Cowboys. Down 27-10 late in the third quarter, it seemed that Jacksonville’s season would probably be over with no shot of catching Tennessee for the AFC South division title. Trevor Lawrence and the Jaguars had other plans though as they clawed back to win in overtime, 40-34.
Lawrence Continues To Ascend
If we look at the chart of Lawrence’s 2022 season, it has some dips but is certainly headed up and to the right. His mistakes are still there but are part of the process for a young QB figuring out how to win in the NFL. On Sunday, he scrambled to pick up a big first down with less than two minutes in the game but fumbled the ball away at the end of the run. The Jaguars’ defense came up huge though, forcing a three-and-out and giving Lawrence one more shot. He didn’t disappoint, making a couple of plays that ended with a huge throw to Zay Jones to put the team in a position to kick a game-tying FG and send it to OT.
Lawrence ended the game completing 27-of-42 for 318 yards, four TDs, and one INT. He added 21 yards on three rushes but also had the fumble. He’s now eclipsed the 300-yard mark and thrown at least three TDs three times in his past four games. Lawrence has come up huge during a crucial stretch for the Jaguars where they essentially need to win out to have any shot at the postseason.
His ADP in next year’s draft will be interesting. If he takes a huge step to end 2022, there likely won’t be much value to be had in 2023. If we drafted now though, it feels like he’d go towards the tail end of the top 12 QBs drafted. Next season, he may be in a position to outperform that. We know that Calvin Ridley will be on the roster, giving Lawrence another weapon to work with. And he has the athletic profile to sustain meaningful rushing stats should the Jags incorporate that part of his game more into their offense. Paired up for his second season with Doug Pederson in 2023, Lawrence has the potential to jump into the conversation with fantasy’s elite QB tier.
