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Jaguars Coach Reveals What He Was Thinking During Trevor Lawrence's Wacky TD Run

Trevor Lawrence improbably fell to the ground before running in for the game-winning touchdown.

Eva Geitheim

Jaguars coach Liam Coen shared what he was thinking after Trevor Lawrence fell on his game-winning touchdown run.
Jaguars coach Liam Coen shared what he was thinking after Trevor Lawrence fell on his game-winning touchdown run. / Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Union / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
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The Jaguars earned another signature win in Week 5 by coming back to beat the Chiefs 31–28 on Monday Night Football. The Jaguars fell down 14–0 early, but rallied back to win the game, thanks to a brilliant final drive late in the fourth quarter.

The comeback victory did not come without some comical gaffes, including on quarterback Trevor Lawrence's game-winning touchdown run. On first-and-goal at the Chiefs' one-yard line, a Jaguars offensive lineman inadvertently stepped on Lawrence's foot, causing him to fall to the ground. He managed to get up, and somehow weaved his way through a sea of bodies to find the end zone for a touchdown.

Jaguars head coach Liam Coen admitted after the game he was initially hoping Lawrence would throw the ball away when he got back to his feet after falling to the ground.

“Throw it away!" Coen said to reporters of what he was thinking in that moment. "He got stepped on and he's coming out of it and you're like, 'Oh my gosh, throw it away so we can have another down.' Tough moment, I can only imagine where he was at in that moment on the ground, but to get up, break three tackles, shed some dude off and go running in. That's an unbelievable individual effort. Yeah, we'd love it to be cleaner and make it a nice executed play, but at the end of the day it's about winning. I'm proud of the toughness he showed at the end of the game."

Lawrence himself said he was feeling "sheer panic" when he fell to the ground, especially since the Jaguars didn't have any timeouts remaining. He planned to get up and throw the ball away, but when he saw he had an opportunity, he ran it in.

Lawrence went 18-25 for 221 yards, a touchdown and a pick. Although the performance certainly came with some mistakes, Lawrence delivered when trailing, and on the game-winning drive.

On that final drive, Lawrence completed a brilliant pass down the field to Brian Thomas Jr., which put the Jaguars in position to score that final, go-ahead touchdown. He also used his legs when needed to get the win, adding 54 yards and two touchdowns on the ground.

Coen said, "I've known the competitor, in terms of being with him for a short time and then going back to some of the games where he's made comebacks, and have a lot of respect for that, but to see him tonight use the legs the way he did, takes some shots while he running. ... Yeah it's a goofy finish, but what a tough moment for him to be able to say he just wasn't gonna lose. That's what it comes down to, he wasn't gonna lose."

The Jags take on the Seahawks in Week 6 on Sunday, Oct. 12, hopeful of improving to 5-1 on the year.

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Eva Geitheim
EVA GEITHEIM

Eva Geitheim is a contributor to the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated. Prior to joining SI in December 2024, she wrote for Newsweek, Gymnastics Now and Dodgers Nation. A Bay Area native, she has a bachelor's in communications from UCLA. When not writing, she can be found baking or re-watching Gilmore Girls.

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