Trevor Lawrence has beaten every AFC South rival with some regularity except one. The Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback gets another crack at the Houston Texans on Sunday at Wembley Stadium, and this time he’s bringing the most accurate start of his career with him.
Houston is the only division opponent against which Lawrence has thrown more interceptions (11) than touchdown passes (eight), and he has completed just 57.8% of his passes in those games, according to ESPN’s Michael DiRocco. The flip side is just as striking. Lawrence has the lowest off-target rate in the NFL at 8.1%. His previous best was 15.5% last season, when he was an MVP finalist.
A cleaner Lawrence heads to Wembley
The numbers back it up. Lawrence has completed 67.1% of his passes for 1,174 yards with 10 touchdown passes and three interceptions, good for a 106.8 passer rating, according to the team. He threw for 331 yards in last Sunday’s 19-17 win over the Eagles in London.
Compare that with last November in Houston. Lawrence went 13 of 23 for 158 yards in a 36-29 loss, and the Texans erased a 19-point fourth-quarter deficit after sacking him five times.
That memory hasn’t faded at The Grove in Watford, where the Jaguars are based for their two-week stay. “We obviously have a tough feeling in our stomachs from the last time we played against these guys,” Liam Coen said after Wednesday’s practice. “It’s going to be a brawl.”
Lawrence was more matter-of-fact. “We’re past that now,” he said.
The pressure will still come. Will Anderson Jr. leads the NFL with 7.5 sacks, and Jacksonville will be without left tackle Anton Harrison, who landed on injured reserve and needs knee surgery. Walker Little gets the start.
London has been kind to Lawrence, though. He is 5-3 there and has thrown a touchdown pass in every start overseas.
So, can Lawrence finally beat the Texans the way he beats everyone else? If he keeps throwing on target and avoids the turnovers that have defined this series, the 4-1 Jaguars should leave London with a four-game cushion on a Houston team sitting at 1-4.
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