JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (AP) — It’s hard to blame Jacksonville coach Liam Coen for relying on quarterback Trevor Lawrence against Buffalo on Sunday.
After all, Lawrence pretty much carried the Jaguars to the playoffs.
But Lawrence looked little like the AFC player of the month for December and January in a 27-24 loss to the Bills that ended one of the franchise’s most surprising seasons.
Lawrence threw two interceptions, including one on the final possession,
and turned the ball over on downs early in the second quarter when replays showed his shin touched the ground on a fourth-and-2 run deep in Buffalo territory.
It was a significant momentum swing in the game. The Jaguars (13-5) could have gone up 14-3 and put pressure on Buffalo (13-5). Instead, they failed to score off a turnover and allowed Josh Allen to lead a 92-yard TD drive.
“I wish we played cleaner in certain areas,” Lawrence said. “I wish I had made one or two decisions a little bit differently, threw a better ball here or there. You’ve got to live with it. It’s life. You don’t get do-overs. It’s a bummer.
“But I know that we left everything out there. I know I put everything into this this year. It’s sucks that we don’t get to keep playing. This is a special group.”
Lawrence completed 18 of 30 passes for 207 yards, with three touchdowns to go along with the turnovers. He also ran six times for 31 yards. He was late on several passes and rarely looked crisp, especially early. He found a rhythm in the fourth quarter and put Jacksonville ahead twice.
He became the third quarterback in NFL history to deliver multiple go-ahead TD passes in the fourth quarter of a playoff loss, joining Allen (at Kansas City in 2021) and New Orleans’ Drew Brees (at San Francisco in 2011), according to ESPN Research.
He connected with Parker Washington and Travis Etienne for scores in final frame, putting the Jags up 17-13 and 24-20. But Allen kept carrying the Bills back into the lead — and ultimately the win.
Coen surely will get questioned for leaning on Lawrence instead of running backs Travis Etienne and Bhayshul Tuten. The duo combined for 118 yards on 15 carries, averaging nearly 8 yards a run against one of the NFL’s most porous run defenses.
“Just called the game like I always call the game,” Coen said.
It was an obviously disappointing ending for Jacksonville, which won its most games since 1999 and built a foundation of success in Coen’s debut season. Lawrence was a big reason for it. He accounted for 25 touchdowns in the team’s eight-game winning streak in which it averaged 33.6 points.
He also played fairly cleanly in those games, with just four turnovers. But it ended against the Bills.
“In any playoff game, mistakes are always magnified,” Lawrence said. “It always comes down to the end. You don’t see a lot of blowouts in the playoffs. Everything’s on the line, and everyone’s fighting.
“So whether it’s turnovers or turnovers on downs – we had three of those today, total – those add up and take points of the board. … I got to be better, cleaner there.”
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