Jaguars vs. Chargers matches young QBs
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence feels as if he’s been in the NFL playoffs the past two months.
In late November, the Jaguars were 3-7 and four games behind the first-place Tennessee Titans in the AFC South standings. It was clear Jacksonville needed to find ways to start winning close games.
Lawrence easily could have panicked or even packed it in. Instead, he and the Jaguars picked it up and won six of seven games down the stretch, clinching the AFC South with a win in the regular-season finale last weekend against two-time reigning division champ Tennessee and returning the franchise to the playoffs for the first time since 2017.
With the rigorous regular-season run compete, Lawrence will make his official postseason debut when the Jaguars (9-8) host fellow playoff newcomer Justin Herbert and the Los Angeles Chargers (10-7) in an AFC wild-card game at 8:15 p.m. Saturday.
NBC will televise what could be the first of many postseason trips for two of the NFL’s youngest rising stars at quarterback.
“When you’re in this position and you’re playing guys like that, that means you’re playing the best teams, and that’s where you want to be at this time of the year,” Lawrence said. “It’s not necessarily I’m looking forward to playing against those guys. I’m excited for the opportunity that our team has to go play these teams that are really good teams that have great quarterbacks, too.”
At 23, Lawrence is the youngest quarterback in this year’s playoff field and will become the fourth-youngest No. 1 overall pick to start a playoff game in his first two seasons.
He has been everything the Jaguars expected — and more, really — since they drafted him in 2021. This season, he completed 66.3% of his passes for 4,113 yards with 25 touchdowns and eight interceptions. He more than doubled his touchdown passes from his rookie year and cut down his interceptions by more than half.
“You want him to have these moments,” said Doug Pederson, who is in his first season as Jacksonville’s coach. “That’s the winning culture we’re trying to build here and establish. We want to be here in the conversation at the end of the season, have the team playing in these meaningful games, and that’s credit to the quarterback.
“He’s the leader of your team and franchise, and these are all games that will continue to prepare and teach Trevor how important they are.”
This matchup could be the first of many featuring Lawrence and the 24-year-old Herbert, two guys recognized as much for their flowing locks as their flawless passes. For now, it’s merely “Hair Bowl II,” a rematch of the Sept. 25 game that Jacksonville won 38-10 in Los Angeles.
Herbert played through a rib injury that day, but the No. 6 pick of the 2020 draft has been solid otherwise and led the Chargers to their first postseason appearance since 2018, completing 68.2% of passes for 4,739 yards with 25 touchdowns and 10 interceptions this season.