Trevor Lawrence probably didn’t draw up his Week 1 ending on the sideline, not involved in the action.
But that’s what happened on Sunday in Week 1. The Jags put Nick Mullens into the game in the second half against the Cleveland Browns.
Don’t worry, though — it’s not bad news.
Why Is Nick Mullens Playing QB For Jaguars?
Mullens is in the game because the Jaguars pulled Lawrence.
He isn’t hurt, though, and he wasn’t playing bad. The Jaguars were simply protecting him for the rest of the season.
The Jags opened up a 34-3 lead that wasn’t going anywhere at the time they took Lawrence out of the game with less than 10 minutes left to play in the fourth quarter.
Mullens might not be the backup for the Jaguars all season, but he was in Week 1.
The Jags also have Quinn Ewers, who they acquired in a preseason trade from the Miami Dolphins. The idea here seems to be that Ewers may not be up to speed in the offense, but he could eventually work his way to QB2.
Mullens was Jacksonville’s backup last year, so he’s used to the system and easy to plug and play as needed.
In this case, the Jaguars are just protecting Lawrence and ensuring they have their superstar quarterback available going forward.
Trevor Lawrence Week 1 Stats
Lawrence was brilliant in Week 1.
He was 18-for-23 passing for 245 yards and four touchdowns. He took just one sack, and he had a 150.6 quarterback rating.
Lawrence also ran twice for three yards. He didn’t need more, because the Browns were never putting up much of a fight.
Lawrence’s touchdowns went 32 yards to Jakobi Meyers, 30 yards to Parker Washington and four yards to Josh Cameron, a sixth-round rookie.
And when you can let that great hair out of a helmet to relax for the closing minutes of a game, life is pretty darn good.
Ironically, Mullens used to play quarterback for the Browns.
Right now, there are probably some Cleveland fans who would love to have him instead of Deshaun Watson and Shedeur Sanders.
It was all Jags on Sunday, and Lawrence got some extra rest for good measure.
Why Nick Mullens Is Playing QB for Jaguars, not Trevor Lawrence