Liam Coen Evaluates Trevor Lawrence's Performance vs. Panthers

That made it all the more imperative that the Jaguars have an encouraging showing in their debut. Not only did they show positive signs, but they practically led the entire way en route to a 26-10 victory in Week 1. They were favored to win, but actually moving to 1-0 was crucial to shake the collective monkey off this team's back.

Perhaps no one had more to prove in this game than quarterback Trevor Lawrence. After signing a five-year, $275 million contract that made him one of the highest-paid players in the entire league, detractors across the country questioned his status as a franchise QB in the NFL.

Trevor Lawrence handled his business

Trevor Lawrence had far from a perfect game. He finished his day against the Carolina Panthers with 178 yards on 19-of-31 passing for one touchdown to one interception. He added another 12 yards on four carries.

Ultimately, Lawrence did enough to lead his team to a Week 1 victory, but there were still plenty of areas for improvement moving forward. Still, it was an encouraging performance for a young quarterback working under his third offensive system in five years. Head Coach Liam Coen alluded to that after the game:

"I thought he had great communication. We were in and out of the huddle. Had the one delay, but that was really a communication fault of us as coaches. I thought he handled things well. I thought he had not a great third quarter, to be honest. You know, we need to be more accurate and complete some of those balls when we have people open, but I thought overall, for his first start in a new system, he handled it really well. He got us in and out of plays. He had to can a lot of plays, and he did it effectively and efficiently. I was proud of his leadership."

He was particularly encouraged by Lawrence's scrambles in the game:

"We talked about that on Friday... you don't get to see that in practice, right? I didn't get to see it last year with Baker either, because you are trying to be a quarterback and go through your progressions, go through your reads, play the position. Man, he saw. He knew it right away. He came off the sideline. It was man coverage. The linebacker, who is the hole player, took BT, and he saw a huge lane. For him to be able to do that is huge. Those were two huge [first-down] pick-ups for us. I'm glad that he was able to get out there and play it that way."

Considering that he took a huge hit on a scramble that gave him a season-ending concussion last year, it was moving to see Lawrence tuck the ball and pick up yards with his legs when he saw opportunities to do so. Lawrence might not have had the statistical production he hoped for in his first game under Head Coach Liam Coen, but it should only get better from here.