Getty Jacksonville Jaguars QB Trevor Lawrence making a move during an NFL game.
Everyone is hyping up the matchup between the former No. 1 and No. 2 overall picks on Thursday Night Football.
However, don’t count Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence among that group.
During his media availability on Tuesday, December 20 the former Clemson Tigers standout was pretty emphatic with how he felt about the comparisons to New York Jets quarterback Zach Wilson:
“I think that’s one thing you can’t do as a quarterback, I’m not playing against Zach you know I’m playing against the Jets defense. It is just annoying when people always compare all that because that’s not what it’s about, that’s now how the game should be played.”
#Jaguars QB Trevor Lawrence (@Trevorlawrencee) finds the comparisons to #Jets QB Zach Wilson (@ZachWilson) ‘annoying’, ‘I’m not playing against Zach, I’m playing against the NYJ defense’ + ‘that’s not how the game should be played’ 😳: 🎥 @Jaguars #TakeFlight #DUUUVAL #TNF
Trevor Lawrence and Zach Wilson Will Be Linked Forever
Whether Lawrence or Wilson like it, they are forever going to be connected because of the 2021 NFL draft.
Lawrence went No. 1 overall to the Jaguars and Wilson went No. 2 overall to the Jets.
Both quarterbacks have had up-and-down tenures in the NFL, but something has clicked with Lawrence over the last six games.
According to Antwan Staley of the New York Daily News, the former No. 1 overall pick has thrown for 1,680 passing yards with a 14-touchdown-to-one interception ratio over that span.
Doing some research on Jaguars QB Trevor Lawrence and in his last six games, he has thrown for 1,680 yards, 14 touchdowns and only one interception.
Not so coincidentally the Jaguars as a team have directly benefited by winning four of the last six games.
In that same span, the Jets have lost four of their last six. Wilson missed three of those games as a healthy scratch because he was demoted to QB3.
Zach Wilson Has a Chance to Flip Narrative vs. Trevor Lawrence in Jets-Jags Clash
The Jaguars are red hot, they have an outside shot at winning the AFC South title, and Lawrence looks like the next great young quarterback in the NFL.
The Jets are stone cold, are currently on the outside of the playoff picture looking in, and throughout the season fans have openly discussed moving on from Wilson this offseason.
Things couldn’t be any more different between these two teams and yet everything can change in Week 16.
That’s why they play the games and the moniker any given Sunday or in this case Thursday certainly applies.
The Jets don’t truly control their own destiny. If they win their remaining three games they would only have a 98 percent chance at making the playoffs, per Jets X-Factor.
If the #Jets can manage a 3-0 finish, their odds of making the playoffs will be 98%, per the NY Times Playoff Simulator.
They just need to go 3-0 + get ONE of these three scenarios to happen… (Pats being most likely)
However, what they need to happen this weekend to control their own destiny is very possible. New England will face off against the red-hot Cincinnati Bengals. After that, they have dates with the Miami Dolphins and Buffalo Bills, two teams that have already beaten them this season.
If they lose that game (or either of the other two) and the Jets win out, New York will end their 11-year playoff drought.
It seems like a lot of people are at the very least uncertain whether or not Wilson is the guy. We know he will be starting on Thursday because Mike White wasn’t cleared for contact.
In front of a national audience, at home, in a do-or-die game as it relates to the Jets’ playoff chances Wilson has a chance to deliver and change the narrative.
If the team wins and he looks good in the process of doing it, the coaching staff is going to have a decision to make at quarterback with two weeks to go.
Wilson won the only other matchup against Lawrence in the NFL in 2021. On Thursday night he will have a chance to go up to 2-0 in head-to-head matchups.
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Trevor Lawrence Gives One-Word Response to Zach Wilson Comparisons