Trevor Lawrence was going to run into the end zone. It was going to be the exclamation point on a dominant win over the New England Patriots on Sunday in Week 3.
But as Lawrence sprinted toward the goal line, he stopped. He took a knee at the 1-yard line. He decided not to score.
It wasn’t a trip or a stumble.
Everything about it looked intentional by Lawrence.
The Jaguars still scored — Bhayshul Tuten powered in from a yard out.
But it was one of those moments that will leave fans very confused for a while — particularly those with Lawrence on their fantasy football teams:
Trevor Lawrence gets through put takes a knee before the end zone.#NFL pic.twitter.com/2zO2Iby4Qz
— TSN (@TSN_Sports) September 27, 2026
Let’s see what we can figure out here.
Why Did Trevor Lawrence Take a Knee at the 1?
Lawrence seemed to have this planned in advance. It’s a hard thing to do spontaneously.
But that doesn’t explain everything about what he was doing.
The most obvious thing to consider is what happened next.
After Lawrence’s knee, the Jaguars then gave the ball to Tuten for a 1-yard TD. That could’ve been his motivation.
Chris Rodriguez Jr. already had a rushing touchdown, and the Jaguars had run all over the Patriots on this day. This was a chance for the Jaguars to get Tuten a score, too, to reward him for his great game.
Would Lawrence have considered such a thing before the play? It’s possible that he thought to himself — “Let’s get down in close so Bhayshul can score.”
With nearly nine minutes left, it wasn’t a case of not scoring just to let it end. The Jaguars were going to score either way.
The Tuten theory is certainly the most logical. Lawrence, a great leader, was giving his teammate a chance to score instead.
Lawrence added this after the game:
"I'm trying to help support the Bhayshul Tuten fantasy people out there."
Trevor Lawrence on kneeling in front of the end zone which lead to a Tuten rushing TD the next play
🎤: @AKinkhabwala pic.twitter.com/L7G1VpJUwa
— NFL on CBS 🏈 (@NFLonCBS) September 27, 2026
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A Jaguars Statement
The other reality: The Jags could do whatever the heck they wanted here, because they were destroying the Patriots.
It was a nightmare day for New England, but a perfect one for the Jags.
Consider this from ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler:
I know this is obviously a very, very bad day for Drake Maye, but don’t let it cause you to miss the other reality of this game: The Jaguars are one of the NFL’s best teams. They’re built the right way. Tough on defense, more and more consistent on offense every week.
— Jeff Darlington (@JeffDarlington) September 27, 2026
If the Jaguars were in a dogfight, there’s no chance Lawrence would’ve done whatever he attempted here. He would’ve just scored.
But this was all Jags, and so Lawrence could push the game in whatever direction he wanted.
Aside from Lawrence fantasy managers, this was a great day for everyone involved with this Jacksonville squad.
Why Trevor Lawrence Took Knee at 1-Yard Line Rather Than Score Jaguars TD