Trevor Lawrence happy to exorcise his Superdome demons

Trevor Lawrence put together one of the most flawless collegiate careers any quarterback has ever had. During a three-year career at Clemson that included a national championship, Lawrence won 38 of the 40 games he played.

The only two losses? A national championship loss to LSU at the Superdome in January 2020 and a Sugar Bowl loss to Ohio State at the Superdome in January 2021.

Now in his third year as quarterback of the Jacksonville Jaguars, Lawrence’s days at Clemson are fading into the rearview mirror. But when an injury threatened to keep him out of a Week 7 road game against the New Orleans Saints, bitter memories of the Superdome gave him just a little extra motivation to be on the field.

“It’s not the main reason, but part of the reason I wanted to play is I’ve had a bad taste in my mouth every time I’ve left New Orleans,” Lawrence said with a smile after a 31-24 win against the Saints. “So it feels good to get a win here.”

Lawrence finished the win Thursday with 204 passing yards and a touchdown, as well as a team-leading 59 rushing yards. Yet he recorded a career-best rushing total just four days after a knee injury suffered in a Sunday win against the Indianapolis Colts threatened to make him miss his first NFL game.

“On Monday, I would have told you he was not playing in this football game, but that’s not who Trevor is,” Jaguars coach Doug Pederson said after the game. “Again, I’m proud of his effort – the ability to escape the pocket and run. Fortunately, they were straight-ahead runs. He didn’t have to cut too much. A lot of gutsy performances out there, and his is probably the No. 1.”

Lawrence’s win at the Superdome on Thursday was also the first time the Jaguars have ever won a game in New Orleans.