There was a time when a defense preparing for Trevor Lawrence might have counted on him to hand over the ball once or twice.
New England Patriots coach Mike Vrabel sees a different quarterback coming to EverBank Stadium on Sunday.
Speaking ahead of New England’s Week 3 visit to the Jacksonville Jaguars, Vrabel described Lawrence as more mature and decisive, according to Patriots reporter Taylor Kyles.
That assessment comes from the coach tasked with stopping Lawrence, which makes it more revealing than a routine compliment from a teammate.
It also lands at an moment when the quarterback opened the season with four touchdown passes against Cleveland, but then threw an interception that helped Denver erase Jacksonville’s lead in Week 2.
The Jaguars are 1-1 as they return home to face the Patriots on Sept. 27.
Vrabel’s Lawrence Assessment Reflects Jaguars QB’s 2025 Growth
Vrabel has recent evidence for the change he described.
In his first season playing for coach Liam Coen in 2025, Lawrence threw 29 touchdown passes, rushed for nine scores and finished with nine interceptions, per the Jaguars.
Jacksonville won its final eight regular-season games and claimed the AFC South title.
The finish tells a sharper story than the season totals. Lawrence threw 15 touchdowns against one interception over his last six regular-season games. That stretch gave opposing defenses far fewer chances to turn his ambition into a short field.
Coen’s offense asks its quarterback to recognize defensive looks and change plays at the line, the team reported. Lawrence can still push the ball downfield; the difference is how quickly he finds an answer when a defense tries to muddy the picture.
That poise showed up in Jacksonville’s 34-10 season-opening win over Cleveland. Lawrence completed 18 of 23 passes for 245 yards, four touchdowns and no interceptions. His four scoring throws went to four different receivers, with Parker Washington among them.
It was a convincing example of what the offense can look like when Lawrence reads the field cleanly.
Denver Interception Hands Lawrence a Fresh Test Against Patriots
The following Sunday provided the counterpoint. Lawrence completed 17 of 29 passes for 189 yards without a touchdown in a 20-13 loss at Denver. Jacksonville led 13-3 in the third quarter before his interception helped swing the game.
The Broncos turned that takeaway into the touchdown that tied the score. Lawrence later acknowledged that he had a bad feeling as soon as he released the pass, via the Jaguars’ account of the play. Jacksonville gained only 56 yards after building its 10-point lead. One mistake didn’t explain every stalled possession, but it gave Denver an openingh the Jaguars never closed.
Now Lawrence faces a defense coming off its own disruptive afternoon. New England forced two turnovers in a 20-3 win over Pittsburgh, including a fumble returned for a touchdown, and pressured the quarterback repeatedly.
Vrabel knows that recipe can alter a game.
His comments suggest he also knows it will take more than waiting for an old version of Lawrence to reappear.
Jaguars’ Trevor Lawrence Gets Revealing Turnover Judgment From Patriots’ Mike Vrabel