Analyst explains why Jaguars QB Trevor Lawrence is ‘deemed for superstardom’
NBC Sports NFL analyst Chris Simms wasn’t the biggest believer in Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence last season.
That’s no longer the case after Simms bumped the 23-year-old quarterback up to the No. 6 spot in his annual quarterback rankings, an 18-spot jump from where he had Lawrence ranked last season.
"You turn on Trevor Lawrence and go, 'Whoa, holy cow. (Aaron) Rodgers' arm is strong but it ain't as strong as Trevor Lawrence's anymore,'" Simms said. "Trevor Lawrence's arm went to another level this year. I mean the control of his fastball, that's where it went to another level. He's great size. He's a really good athlete, but the throwing went to a different stratosphere halfway through the year. … It went far behind all of the physical specimen stuff and got into the real quarterbacking stuff and clutchness and carrying the team, and that's where we're on the verge of superstardom with Trevor Lawrence."
The Clemson alum made his first Pro Bowl in 2022 after passing for 4,113 yards, 25 touchdowns and eight interceptions with a passer rating of 95.2 and a 9-8 record as the Jags starter.
Though his season as a whole was impressive, the final nine games of the regular season was when Lawrence really shined. He had three 300-yards games and threw 15 touchdowns and only two interceptions over that stretch with a completion percentage of 70% or better in five of those games.
Lawrence led Jacksonville to wins in seven of those nine games, including a five-game win streak to end the year and clinch the team’s fourth AFC South title.
“There are throws he makes in the last 10 weeks of the year where you go, 'That's only for the (Justin) Herberts and (Josh) Allens and (Patrick) Mahomes,” Simms continued. “Those are the only guys who can make those type of throws.' And it starts to become commonplace in almost every game, where you start to go, there's five or six in that game I went, ‘Ohh.’”
Lawrence made a name for himself in the playoffs after leading the Jaguars back from a 27-point deficit — the third-largest in postseason history — against the Los Angeles Chargers.
After throwing four interceptions in the first half, Lawrence rallied to throw four touchdowns in the second half while completing 24 of 31 passes to lead the Jags to a 31-30 win.
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