Trevor Lawrence did not try to talk down the Houston Texans’ defense on Wednesday. Asked about the challenge of a front built around two dangerous edge rushers, the Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback went through it level by level.
“You look at their front, they’re really good across the board, you know, and it’s not just the edge guys, it’s the interior guys too that can play,” Lawrence said. “They’re really good at rushing the passer, but they also are pretty committed to stopping the run too. So that can be a challenge because they can do both well.”
He kept going. He said the back seven plays sound coverage, too. “This scheme, they’ve been doing the same stuff for a long time and they’re just really good at it. Really well-coached, and the guys fly around, they swarm to the ball, they tackle well, can make plays on the ball in the passing game. So a lot of challenges. It’s a really good defense, there’s no secret about it.”
The Jaguars are 4-1 and on top of the AFC South after a 19-17 win over the Philadelphia Eagles at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. They stay in London to face the 1-4 Texans at Wembley Stadium on Sunday, October 18, at 9:30 a.m. ET.
Respect, but not too much
Asked how much respect for a defense featuring Will Anderson Jr. should shape the way he plays, Lawrence said the offense has earned its own confidence. “You always have to respect who you’re playing against, but you also have to know that, hey, we’re a good offense too, and we can make plays and we have to have confidence, and we do,” he said. “We’ve played some good defenses up until this point as well.”
“When Sunday comes around, we gotta go make plays and have the confidence that we’re the best guys on the field,” he added. “And I think we believe that and we gotta play like it.”
Lawrence also said last season’s game in Houston is no longer part of the conversation. “It was kind of a wake-up call for us,” he said, adding that it “spurred us on in a good direction last year.” But, he said, “we’re pretty far past that now, and this is a new year, new teams on both sides, and we just got to put together a good plan to go try to beat these guys this year.”
Owning the delays
Liam Coen told reporters earlier Wednesday that he took ownership of the offense’s delay-of-game penalties in a Monday meeting. Lawrence said that helped the players look at themselves too. “It was cool to see him take ownership and point out some things where maybe he could get a call in sooner or whatever it was,” he said. “But I think as players it also makes you reflect on the plays yourself and say, this is what I need to do better.”
His rule of thumb is to break the huddle with about 20 seconds on the play clock. “It’s not always realistic,” Lawrence said, “but it’s a good feeling when you can break it 20 and see what you’re looking at or get a chance to look at the defense.”
Grass, cleats and a new Texan
Moving from Tottenham to Wembley does not change his week, Lawrence said, other than the surface. “Obviously, we have the turf in Tottenham, and then in Wembley, it’s the grass,” he said. “So some guys wear different cleats because the grass can sometimes be a little slick because it’s a little different than the grass that we play on in the States.”
Houston could also debut receiver Marvin Harrison Jr., who joined the Texans this week. Lawrence was asked about Jakobi Meyers arriving in Jacksonville midweek last season and playing that Sunday. “Jakobi was able to do more than I thought he was going to be able to do, honestly,” he said. “Probably not the whole playbook’s opened up for him, but you can definitely game plan and get him involved and have him ready to do something, for sure.”
On his own side, Lawrence said he trusts Walker Little at left tackle, called Parker Washington “a huge playmaker for us,” and praised veteran running back Ameer Abdullah as “one of the first ones in the building” and a steady voice in a young room. “I think you need a few guys like that on your team,” he said.
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