The Jacksonville Jaguars were unable to rid themselves of mistakes in their defeat on Sunday to the Cincinnati Bengals, 31-27. It was as chaotic a Jaguars game as you could imagine, as both sides of the ball made constant mistakes in a high-scoring affair that should’ve resulted in a Jacksonville win had it not been for several big miscues throughout the game.
Quarterback Trevor Lawrence had an up-and-down game, going 24 for 42 with 271 yards, three touchdowns, and two interceptions. However, the glaring issue remains that he and star wide receiver Brian Thomas Jr. remain at a disconnect, an issue that has dragged on during the summer. While improvements were made from Week 1, there is more work to be done.
Sep 7, 2025; Jacksonville, Florida, USA; Jacksonville Jaguars wide receiver Brian Thomas Jr. (7) takes the field prior to a game against the Carolina Panthers at EverBank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images / Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images
When they can link up, Lawrence and Thomas can be a handful to defend against in most outings. Two weeks into the 2025 season, and the two stars have struggled in doing so. The former Clemson signal-caller thought he and Thomas were able to make big plays in the air on a couple of their connections, though he acknowledges they have work to do to correct their mistakes.
“It’s a long season, and it’s obviously important to our success as an offense (for) me and him being dialed in and being on the same page. So we’re getting there, and we just have to keep working,” Lawrence explained. “Like I said, it’s not all said and done after one game, so we got to continue to build. I thought there were some improvements we made this week, and we got to continue to get better.”
Sep 14, 2025; Cincinnati, Ohio, USA; Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence (16) calls a play in the first half against the Cincinnati Bengals at Paycor Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Katie Stratman-Imagn Images / Katie Stratman-Imagn Images
Lawrence called Thomas ‘a great player,’ and the plan is to always get him heavily involved in the passing game while also acknowledging the playmakers around him that make up the rest of the offense. There are plenty of dynamic players on the Jaguars’ offense, and Lawrence explained that during games, the ball will find who is open.
“On third downs, we have lots of moving parts and guys moving around the field. I thought we had a good plan to get guys open,” Lawrence said. “For whatever reason, I guess I didn’t notice the lull in the middle of the game for him getting the ball, but my job is find the guy that’s open and get him the ball and move on. Obviously, there’s a big plan for that to be BT.”
One of the critical moments of the game was the fourth-down drop from Thomas, with vivid frustration from all parties. Lawrence said there wasn’t much to say in that moment other than to try to get it done with the next opportunity. Of course, that did not occur in Sunday’s loss.
“At that point, we’re hoping to get another opportunity to go finish the game. But yeah, it is what it is. There’s not much to say. Guys know,” Lawrence said. “It’s same thing like if I have a bad throw…I know I got to make the throw. Same thing on the catch. So, we all got to just own our part, move on and improve.”
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