Trevor Lawrence was in a celebratory mood, decked out in an ugly Christmas sweater while acknowledging it was not exactly the prettiest performance he and his Jacksonville Jaguars have had during their playoff surge.
It was plenty good enough, though.
The Jaguars’ 19-3 victory on Thursday over an embarrassed Zach Wilson and the slumping New York Jets on a rainy, windy night has them in control of their post-season destiny.
Photo: AFP
“It’s just a big win,” Lawrence said. “It shows this team is growing. We don’t have to have 40 points to win. We don’t have to have all these yards. Whatever it takes to win, we’re able to do. To be able to adjust was really good for us.”
Lawrence finished 20 of 31 for 229 yards and ran for 51 yards, including a leaping touchdown, on seven carries for the Jaguars (7-8), who moved within a half game of skidding Tennessee in the American Football Conference South. Jacksonville would win the division title with victories in their final two games — including the season finale against the Titans.
“We understand the task in front of us,” Lawrence said. “Every game is a must-win for us. That’s how we’re treating it. We understand it and we love it.”
The second matchup between last year’s first two draft picks — Lawrence at No. 1 and Wilson at No. 2 — was not even close.
While Lawrence sliced through the Jets’ normally strong defense, Wilson could not get anything going and was booed frequently — all the way to the bench.
Chris Streveler, elevated from the practice squad before the game, replaced Wilson late in the third quarter.
Wilson went nine of 18 for 92 yards with an interception and a dismal 41.9 rating for the Jets (7-8), whose playoff hopes took a devastating hit with their fourth straight loss. That is the worst skid under second-year coach Robert Saleh.
It came in the Jets’ regular-season home finale — in front a national audience on Amazon Prime Video.
“It’s not about playoffs right now,” Saleh said.
“It’s about about getting off this mat and trying to freakin’ find a way to put together a football game,” he said.
Wilson, who returned from a three-game benching on Sunday in place of an injured Mike White, could not make any plays and his offensive line gave him little protection.
“I just felt like I didn’t have any rhythm out there,” Wilson said.
“When our number was called in the passing game, we made enough plays,” Lawrence said. “Obviously, it was a little sloppy. There’s going to be a lot of stuff to correct. The elements played a little bit of a factor. At the end of the day, we made the plays we needed to make.”
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