Sports Illustrated Predicts Big Seasons For Jaguars' Trevor Lawrence, Christian Kirk
To say the Jacksonville Jaguars are the favorites to win the AFC South in 2023 would be an understatement. The expectation for most isn't if the Jaguars make a march back to the playoffs, but just how impressive they are on the way.
For Sports Illustrated's Conor Orr, that kind of season could look a lot like last year did: with Trevor Lawrence and Christian Kirk leading the way,
Making 100 predictions for the 2023 season, Orr included the Jaguars' franchise quarterback and leading returning receiver in his bold stances for the upcoming season -- predicting that Kirk would catch 100 passes and that Trevor Lawrence would throw for over 5,000 yards.
"The Trent Baalke revenge tour continues. Kirk, who was initially the poster child for the seemingly ridiculous spike in receiver market prices, will put up yet another high-caliber season alongside Trevor Lawrence. Last year, in his first season with the Jaguars, Kirk recorded 1,108 yards on 84 catches," Orr said.
"Lawrence continues to “get it” at such a substantial speed, and, while the Jaguars’ running game suffered a bit from some stretches of pedestrian play last year, it was all the more reason for Doug Pederson to seriously consider an offense that almost never takes the ball out of Lawrence’s hands. Potentially generational QB, great wide receivers … what’s so hard about that?"
Kirk, who the Jaguars signed to a four-year, $72 million deal with $37 million guaranteed in March, was everything the Jaguars could have asked for in 2022 during a career year.
Kirk finished with career highs in yards (1,108), catches (84), and touchdowns (8) while also catching 15 passes for 130 yards and two touchdowns in the playoffs. Kirk finished tied for 18th in catches, 14th in receiving yards, and tied for 11th in touchdown catches.
Catching 100 or more passes would make Kirk just the second wide receiver to ever reach the milestone in franchise history, joining Jimmy Smith. Kirk's 84 catches in 2022 were the eighth-most in franchise history -- could he have one of the most productive seasons the team has ever seen in his second year with the team? His chemistry with Lawrence and fit in Doug Pederson's scheme suggest it is more than possible.
As for Lawrence, throwing for 5,000 or more yards would put him in elite territory. There have only been 15 such seasons in NFL history, with the likes of Tom Brady, Drew Brees, Dan Marino, Peyton Manning, Patrick Mahomes, Matthew Stafford, Justin Herbert, Jameis Winston, and Ben Roethlisberger reaching the milestone.
In 17 starts in 2022, Lawrence completed 387 of 584 passes for 4,113 yards and 25 TDs. His 387 completions were the most in a single season in franchise history and his five rushing TDs were tied with Garrard for the most in single-season franchise history.
Lawrence joined Bengals QB Joe Burrow and Bills QB Josh Allen as the only players in the NFL with 25-plus passing TDs and at least five rushing TDs. Against the Titans in Week 14, Lawrence set a career-high with 368 yards passing and was named AFC Offensive Player of the Week for his performance.
The second-year quarterback totaled four 300-yard passing games and orchestrated three comebacks of 17-plus points, including a comeback from behind 27-0 in the postseason against the Chargers.
