CLEVELAND, Ohio — Trevor Lawrence and the Jacksonville Jaguars approach a test come Week 2 versus the Cincinnati Bengals.
It’s a defense that present a unique challenge for Lawrence and the Jaguars offense: a defensive unit with a new coordinator running a scheme that barely exists on NFL game film.
During his recent media session, Lawrence pulled back the curtain on the fascinating process of preparing for such a mystery.
“It’s always a challenge,” Lawrence explained during Wednesday’s press conference. “New coordinator, beginning of the season, both of those things present some challenges on just how much have you really seen, you know, as far as NFL tape of this defense? Not a ton.”
That new coordinator is Al Golden, who arrived in Cincinnati having coached Notre Dame’s defense all the way to the CFP national championship.
He took over a Bengals defense that tied for 25th in points allowed (25.5), and seven of their eight losses in 2024 were one-possession games, and the defense single-handedly lost some of them.
Cincinnati made some big plays in their Week 1 win over Cleveland, which included two big second-half interceptions.
Lawrence’s answer provides a rare glimpse into the investigative side of quarterback play. The process involves piecing together a defensive identity from disparate sources—creating a coherent picture from fragments.
“You have the preseason, you got last week, you got some stuff they did in Notre Dame,” Lawrence detailed. “You kind of look at all of it and take it for what it is and try to, I guess, put together all the things that they’ve done and what’s common themes.”
Lawrence himself is no slight.
In the Week 1 win over Carolina, he accounted for 178 passing yards on a 61.3% completion rate, along with one touchdown and one interception.
It was also Lawrence’s first game since suffering a bad concussion in Week 13 of last season.
But Lawrence isn’t just memorizing plays or tendencies—he’s trying to uncover the philosophical foundation that drives an opponent’s decision-making. He’s looking beyond what they do to understand why they do it.
“Every defense and every offense has an identity of, you know, what they want to do, who they are, what coverages they want to run, what pressures do they want to bring,” Lawrence explained. While acknowledging that teams can adapt their approach week to week, he emphasized, “You can kind of tell structure and identity who they want to be.”
What makes this process particularly challenging is the timing. Early in the season, with minimal game film available, Lawrence must make critical decisions based on limited data. It’s like trying to predict the ending of a mystery novel after reading only the first chapter.
The process reveals a side of quarterback play rarely discussed in highlight packages or fantasy football analyses.
Before the physical drama of Sunday’s game—before the throws, catches, and celebrations—comes the intellectual battle of preparation. Lawrence must first win in the film room before he can succeed on the field versus the Bengals.
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