On Sunday, the Jacksonville Jaguars will be able to show off their new toy when number one overall pick Trevor Lawrence makes his regular-season debut on the road against the Texans.
In the preseason, Lawrence had some decent moments, including completing 11/12 passes for 139 yards and two touchdowns against the Cowboys in the preseason finale.
On Friday, Lawrence and the team went through the final practice before they play the Texans, and according to Jaguars head coach Urban Meyer, Lawrence looked sharp.
“He’s been good,” Meyer said. “Today’s a big day. Today’s ‘Fast Fridays,’ and we try to keep it no balls on the ground and no call backs, we call it, which means a perfect Friday practice. We’ll see, but he’s been excellent.”
Earlier in the week, Lawrence discussed the importance of setting the tone and getting a victory in Week 1 against Houston.
“Just to get that first win under your belt especially [against] a division opponent, it’s huge, on the road, just [to get] a lot of confidence going into the season,” Lawrence said this week. “Like you said, it’s a long season, and you need all that confidence and get it rolling. That’s all our focus is on right now and just taking it one game at a time. Yeah, it’s a long season, but you just have to take it one week at a time.”
If the Jaguars win on Sunday, Lawrence would become the fifth quarterback drafted first overall to win his first career start.
According to Lawrence, before every first game for him on any level, he’s a little nervous, which he discussed on Wednesday.
“I’m always a little nervous before almost every game, but especially like the first game,” Lawrence said. “We played some preseason, and I was nervous before those, but first official game, starting a division game on the road, all those things, I’m going to have a little bit of butterflies. That’s just part of it, but we’ll be ready. I’m excited. It’s going to be fun. Get a good first play under your belt, get rolling, sometimes take a little hit, kind of get you into the game. I’m excited. It’s going to be fun.”
Meyer believes Lawrence will be ready.
“It’s all about preparation,” Meyer said. “He’s a very aware guy, so no, that hasn’t even come up, just getting him ready to play. He’s very well aware of what this means.”
This is a winnable game for Jacksonville, especially with Deshaun Watson not playing and Tyrod Taylor getting the start. It should be interesting to see what Lawrence and the Jaguars look like in Week 1 and how Meyer handles his first game as an NFL coach.
