Trevor Lawrence had the end zone in front of him Sunday, and he still chose the slide.
With Jacksonville rolling past New England 35-6 in Week 3, the Jaguars quarterback had a clear path to score on a third-and-4 snap from the Patriots’ 16-yard line. Instead of finishing the run, Lawrence took a knee near the 1-yard line while the Jaguars were already up 28-6 and more than eight minutes still remained in the fourth quarter.
The move didn’t exactly land well for anyone hoping Lawrence would punch in a touchdown - or for anyone with a fantasy lineup or wager tied to it. New England called timeout after the kneel, and Bhayshul Tuten scored on the next play anyway.
Afterward, Lawrence owned the decision with a grin.
“In hindsight, I probably should've just scored because we scored the very next play,” Lawrence told CBS Sports' Aditi Kinkhabwala on the field after the game. “Trying to run the clock out a little bit. You know, I'm trying to help support the Bhayshul Tuten fantasy people out there.”
He expanded on it more during his postgame press conference, saying the Jaguars had discussed that kind of situation beforehand.
“It’s something we talk about all the time,” Lawrence said, via Action Sports Jax. “Potentially, in those situations, like going down and keeping the clock running.
That was too much time. I looked at the clock after and was like, 'Ah, still eight minutes left.'
“So, it was probably unnecessary there, but just trying to eat as much clock as possible. They use a timeout after that.
Trying to give them as few chances as possible to get back into the game. ... People will probably be all over it online, I'm sure.
Probably wasn't the best decision, but we scored the next play, so whatever, get Bhayshun a touchdown. It's cool.
Let him get in the end zone.”
Lawrence still left the afternoon with a strong stat line, throwing three touchdown passes in the win. That pushed him past Mark Brunell for the most games with three-plus passing touchdowns in franchise history with 13, and it also moved him past Blake Bortles for second place on Jacksonville’s all-time passing touchdowns list with 105.
In Other News...
Trevor Lawrence Gave Jaguars Fans One Strange Moment To Debate
Trevor Lawrences strong Sunday helped the Jaguars put the Patriots away in a 35-6 rout, with the quarterback finishing 19 of 29 for 182 yards and three touchdowns. Jacksonville had control for most of the afternoon, and New England never found much rhythm as Drake Mayes turnovers piled up in a difficult start to the season.
Still, the most debated moment may have come late, when Lawrence dropped to a knee at the 1-yard line and left plenty of fans trying to figure out the logic behind it. The Jaguars were long past needing style points, but the decision created a strange little postgame discussion anyway, one that stood out almost as much as the score itself. [Read more 🡒]
Josh Hines-Allen Sideline Scuffle Took A Strange Jaguars Turn
Travis Hunters first career interception was supposed to be the headline from Sunday, but the scene around it quickly turned into something else. On the sideline, Josh Hines-Allen got caught in a brief scuffle over the football, with the moment featuring a tug-of-war and a shove as the plays souvenir became the center of attention.
Liam Coen said the situation appears to be resolved, but the oddest part still hangs out there: even the person on the other end of the exchange has not been clearly identified by either team. An unconfirmed report from TMZ Sports suggested the individual may have been with the Patriots rather than the Jaguars, which only adds another layer to a strange post-interception sequence that left more questions than answers. [Read more 🡒]
Cam Little Just Reminded Jaguars Fans What Might Be Coming
Cam Little gave Jaguars fans a quick reminder of just how far his range can stretch when he sent up a 70-yard field goal try against the New England Patriots. It came up just short, but the attempt itself was eye-catching in its own right, especially coming from the kicker who already owns the NFL record for the longest field goal at 68 yards.
The miss did not change the bigger picture around Little, who has already shown he belongs in rare territory for leg strength. With a new NFL rule about kicking footballs also in the mix, the possibility of even longer field goals is suddenly part of the conversation, and Jacksonville has a front-row seat to whatever comes next. [Read more 🡒]