Premium Content Sign Up

Trevor Lawrence isn't playing worse than last year. He's being let down by his help.

2RXGWD9 From the left, Jacksonville Jaguars offensive line Brandon Scherff (68), Luke Fortner (79) and Ben Bartch (78) ready for the snap to quarterback Trevor Lawrence (16) during an NFL football game against the Houston Texans, Sunday, Sept. 24, 2023, in Jacksonville, Fla. The Texans defeated the Jaguars 37-17. (AP Photo/Gary McCullough)

• Receiver errors plague Jaguars to 1-2 start: Trevor Lawrence's drop rate after three weeks sits at 11.0%, the second highest in the league, and his receivers have struggled to get two feet down in the end zone.

• PFF grades tell a different story: Lawrence is still the NFL's third-highest-graded quarterback through three weeks despite the Jaguars' overall poor showings.

• Looking for more grades and data? To access PFF Premium Stats, subscribe now!

Estimated Reading Time: 4 minutes


Trevor Lawrence is still playing like one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL, though it’s easy to see why onlookers might miss it.

The Jacksonville Jaguars dropped their second straight game in Week 3, and while losing to the Kansas City Chiefs is understandable, if not expected, falling to the Houston Texans wasn’t in the script.

Both games shared a similar dynamic, though: Lawrence playing far better than the results would indicate.

From Week 9 onward last season, only Joe Burrow and Patrick Mahomes generated a better PFF grade than Lawrence’s 90.0. His numbers were comparable to those elite passers, as well, with a slightly higher turnover-worthy play rate (2.4%) but a better big-time throw rate (6.4%) than either player to offset that.

If Lawrence simply picked up where he left off this season, he would put himself among the best quarterbacks in the game.

With Jacksonville now 1-2 and Lawrence sitting with just an 84.6 passer rating, many people are asking what happened. But his PFF passing grade trails only Tua Tagovailoa after three weeks, and his overall PFF grade (85.9) ranks third best behind Tagovailoa and Mahomes.

PFF's Premium Stats is the most in-depth collection of NFL and NCAA player performance data. Subscribe today to get full access

Lawrence has dealt with an absurd number of receiver errors over the past two weeks. His drop rate after three weeks sits at 11.0%, the second highest in the league, but many of the biggest problem plays haven’t even been drops; they’ve been receivers failing to get two feet down in the end zone.

DOMINATE FANTASY FOOTBALL & BETTING WITH AI-POWERED DATA & TOOLS TRUSTED BY ALL 32

Unlimited Fantasy League Sync
Fantasy Start/Sit Line-Up Optimizer & Waiver Wire
WR-CB & OL-DL Matchups, PFF Player Grades, & Premium Stats 2.0 Tools
Nathan Jahnkes Rankings - #1 Most Accurate Last 70 Weeks
PFF Best Bets, Player Props, & Power Ranking Tools
NFL Mock Draft Sim with Trades & Draft Grades

Already have a subscription? Log In

Safety worth way more than 2 points. Help protect your family with fast, free will.
Sponsor
NFL Featured Tools
Subscriptions

Unlock the 2024 Fantasy Draft Kit, with Live Draft Assistant, Fantasy Mock Draft Sim, Rankings & PFF Grades

$24.99/mo
OR
$119.99/yr