Trevor Lawrence scores higher in NFL playoffs

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Back during training camp, new Jaguars head coach Doug Pederson introduced the team to a philosophy endorsed by motivational speaker and former Navy SEAL Jocko Willink, a worldview in a single word: “Good.”

“When things are going bad, don’t get all bummed out,” Willink has said. “Don’t get frustrated. No, just look at the issue and say: ‘Good.’”

It’s a philosophy that turns challenge into opportunity, that locates a spark of positivity at the core of desolation. It’s supposed to fire up hope in even the most dire of circumstances – like, say, being down 27 points in a win-or-go-home playoff game.

Trevor Lawrence was as low on a football pitch as one can go. He had thrown four interceptions, which helped to reduce the deficit of four possessions. Although he seemed calm and collected, inside he was fighting with himself. Lawrence – who once went 41 games in high school without losing, and then another 29 in college – knew his team needed him to come through, but he literally could not stop throwing the ball into the Chargers’ hands.

So when a lineman came up to Lawrence and said, simply, “Good,” Lawrence’s first instinct was to brush it off, thinking, It’s not the right time.

Lawrence would, as it turned out. spend the rest of the game being very good indeed.

The first half of the second is the most important, the only happy Jaguars fan in all of TIAA Bank Field was the heavily tattooed gentleman bobbing merrily – and very much alone – in one of the pools high above the stadium’s end zone. Yes, he had watched Lawrence throw four – four! – first-half interceptions, but at least he was in a heated pool while the rest of the stadium was shivering in sub-40-degree temperatures.

Lawrence’s woes began early – like, first playoff pass of his career early. The Chargers’ Joey Bosa The pass was tipped at the line. Drue Tranquill It was taken out of the air. Two plays later. Justin Herbert The Chargers were in the end zone when he led them. Los Angeles led 7-0 after just 90 seconds.

It got worse. Another errant Lawrence pass, another interception – then another, and another. The Jaguars’ first six possessions were NSFW: Interception, Interception, Punt, Interception, Punt, Interception, and then a muffed punt, five turnovers that the Chargers built into a 27-0 lead with 4:25 remaining in the first half.

Jacksonville may be the only stadium to still play Limp Bizkit, and it gets a warm response. Jaguars fans cheered for four possessions. Lawrence began Jacksonville’s eighth possession of the half at midfield, and by then Jaguars fans were watching through their fingers and the rest of the NFL world was wondering just how bad this was going to get. Would Lawrence top Brett Favre’s Super Bowl-era playoff record of six interceptions? Would the Jaguars realize they’d made a mistake in firing Urban Meyer? Is it possible for the franchise to just go for London at halftime? For heaven’s sake, the Jaguars weren’t going to let Lawrence throw any more, would they?

Lawrence looked around at his teammates while he was in the huddle. “There’s no 27-point plays,” he said. “We’ve got to do this one play at a time.”

Then he did exactly what he said. Travis Etienne’s right side was the recipient of a 12-yard pass. A four yard pass to Christian Kirk To the left. Pass to the left for 12 yards Marvin Jones Jr. In the middle of the field. A five-yarder is then added. Evan Engram In the end zone. With a sigh of relief, the Jaguars were back on the field and running to the locker room.

“I just needed to settle in. We couldn’t get any momentum going, couldn’t get any drive going,” Lawrence said. “I knew once we got the momentum back, we’ve been in that situation before.”

“Everybody rallied around him, everybody rallied around each other,” Marvin Jones Jr. said in the locker room after the game. “It was great talk on the sidelines. It was never pointing fingers, it was never ‘oh my gosh.’ More like, ‘I know this isn’t going to happen.’”

The second half will be Similar to the one-man Jaguars swim high above the field, the Chargers found themselves in hot water, and much like the proverbial frog, they didn’t realize the danger they were in until it was far too hot to escape. Lawrence transformed from a tentative, misfiring embarrassment into the sleek, confident yardage-devouring machine he’d been over the season’s second half.

“Once we picked the tempo up, we started getting our looks and winning one-on-one matchups,” Jones said. “I feel like we could go up against anybody and have success.”

Numbers don’t always tell the story, but these do: Lawrence threw four interceptions, and then four touchdowns. In the first half, his passer rating was 24.5 and in the second half it was 144.5. It was a miniature version of the Jaguars’ entire season: losing five of their first six, then winning their final five to storm into the playoffs on the season’s final day.

“It kind of epitomizes our season,” Lawrence said. “We’re never out of it. When you believe and everybody believes, it’s cool what you can accomplish.”

After this miracle 31-30 victory, the Jaguars’ future now looks as bright as the eye-searing teal that dominates their stadium. Lawrence leveled up against the Chargers, establishing himself as one of the AFC’s must-watch quarterbacks of the future. He’s undefeated on Saturdays in high school, college and the pros, though none of those victories came as tough as this one. He’s 23 years old and is the unquestioned leader of Jaguars locker rooms, proving his worth in the best way possible.

Kirk stated, “When you see him not blinking, going out there and putting everything on the line, it’s easy for me to support a guy like this.”

In the following minutes Riley Patterson’s game-winning field goal, as the delirious Jaguars streamed off the field and into the hallway beneath the stadium, team owner Shad Khan, wearing a sharp white sportcoat and black slacks, greeted and embraced players and coaches. There were many ecstatic screams and whoops in the air. Some profane, some not. Linebacker Shaquille Quarterman The flag was likely borrowed from cheerleaders and carried an enormous Jaguar flag.

“Do you believe in miracles?” someone shouted out, probably unaware that the man who’d made that classic call 43 years ago was a few floors above them, having just called their victory as well. This wasn’t a gold medal game, but it felt as good as any victory has in Jacksonville in a very long time.

“Typical us, huh?” Jones laughed. “We know how to throw a good party.”

“It’s easy to say it after, but you don’t win a game like that if you don’t believe in yourself,” Lawrence said. “Proud of this group, this city. Special night for a lot of people, and I’m just thankful for everybody that played a part in it.”

The Jaguars now await the outcome of the rest of this weekend’s games. Jacksonville will host Baltimore next weekend if the Ravens, Dolphins are able to overcome the loss their starting quarterbacks. The Jaguars will travel to Kansas City or Buffalo if they fail to overcome their quarterback losses. Jacksonville will consider every option.

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Jay Busbee can be reached at [email protected], or via Twitter at @jaybusbee