Sunday brings a bigger measuring stick for Trevor Lawrence than the Jaguars vs. Bengals, and his name is Joe Burrow.
The Lawrence-Burrow debate has gone on since the start of Week 4, and, unsurprisingly, Burrow is the favorite.
And it has been like that for years, the consensus script heavily leaning toward Burrow. Because he is the guy who walks into hostile playoff environments and carves teams up with surgical precision, boasting a career completion rate hovering near 68.5% and a proven Super Bowl-level caliber. Burrow can get sacked 10 times and still win the game.
That’s why it was not even a debate for Ryan Clark.
Joe Burrow has the Better Credentials
“I love Trevor Lawrence. And I love that he’s ascending, but Trevor Lawrence has been inconsistent,” Clark said on ESPN’s First Take. “We’re talking about Joe Burrow. We’ve seen Joe Burrow go on the road to have to win playoff games and take his team to the Super Bowl. Don’t let these first three games fool you. Joe Burrow is still Joe Burrow.”
Also, Burrow is 3-0 against Lawrence.
“I love what Trevor Lawrence is doing, but I don’t care when it is. It could have been last week, it could be next year, it could be right now, it could be in a couple of weeks. I’m taking Joe Burrow. There are levels to everything. That’s not a knock on Trevor Lawrence.”
Evan Cohen completely disagreed, straight up saying, “Stephen A said, ‘Nobody’s saying Lawrence is better than Burrow.’ I am.”
Lawrence is just coming out of his classic slump from the Doug Pederson and Urban Meyer era. Under Liam Coen, he needed just three games to establish himself as a solid MVP dark horse.
A win against Burrow and the Bengals makes an unmistakable case for him as a serious MVP contender. Since it has been a while since Lawrence could actually win seasons, naturally analysts are playing the cautious game with him and buying into the tried-and-tested Burrow.
However, Lawrence has not only found the schemes that work the best for him under Coen. And it’s not even about the years he spent refining his arm when the Jaguars were on a losing streak, though it helps.
More importantly, Lawrence is more primed to come out swinging because he has the right offense beside him. Lawrence’s chemistry with his receivers has been off the charts this season, and it was the primary reason why they could steamroll the Patriots in the 35-6 game.
Jaguars Trevor Lawrence Predicted to Get the Last Laugh
Stephen A. Smith agrees with the point and predicted a better ending for Jacksonville on Sunday.
“I also look at Trevor Lawrence and his ability to roam with the football,” A. Smith said. “Remember, he had nine touchdown runs last year. Joe Burrow never had any. Why? He didn’t have any last year. Why? Because he’s not a mobile quarterback. He’s relatively stationary to some degree. So, all of those things come into play in terms of what you’re looking for and the trajectory of a team and what’s going on at this particular moment in time.”
As he pointed out, the debate shouldn’t even be Burrow or Lawrence. Burrow has proved himself. Lawrence is yet to. The question is who, Burrow or Lawrence, has a better shot at proving it this weekend. Plus, whether Lawrence finally gets at least one win against his rival since their college football days.
“Right now. I like the way that this is going, and I think it’s gonna be a better ending for Jacksonville than Cincinnati.”
Bengals QB Joe Burrow Poses Ultimate Week 4 Test for Jaguars’ Trevor Lawrence