Trevor Lawrence Played on Timing vs. Bills, and It Cost the Jaguars

Another campaign done for the Jacksonville Jaguars means that we're in for another long offseason filled with Trevor Lawrence discourse. It won't matter that the fifth-year quarterback just had the best season of his career so far, leading his team to 13 wins and a division title. It won't matter that he climbed the MVP ladder and will likely receive votes for the award for the first time since 2022 in his first year playing under Head Coach Liam Coen.

All that will matter is that he couldn't get it done against the Buffalo Bills on Wild Card Weekend. All that will matter is that the last pass of his season was batted up by Tre'Davious White and intercepted by Cole Bishop. That's enough fuel for the detractors to use against him until he finally hoists the Lombardi, and that might not even be enough (see: Jalen Hurts and the Philadelphia Eagles).

Cole Bishop, Jakobi Meyers, Jacksonville Jaguars, NFL playoffs, Buffalo Bills, Wild Card — Jacksonville Jaguars wide receiver Jakobi Meyers (3) can only watch as Buffalo Bills safety Cole Bishop (24) intercepts the ball on the last play of the game in an NFL football AFC Wild Card playoff matchup, Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026, in Jacksonville, Fla. Bills lead 10-7 at the half over the Jaguars. The Bills defeated the Jaguars 27-24. [Doug Engle/Florida Times-Union] | Doug Engle/Florida Times-Union / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

What went wrong for Trevor Lawrence

History won't be kind to Trevor Lawrence and the Jacksonville Jaguars regarding their 27-24 loss to the Buffalo Bills. It won't be long until nearly everyone forgets that they took the lead twice in the fourth quarter, but it won't be easy to shake the image of T-Law throwing an interception on the first play of their final offensive drive.

Had he scored a game-winning touchdown on that series instead, all of his earlier mistakes would have been forgiven. Hell, had Travis Etienne Jr. ripped off an 80-yard run to the end zone, not many would be criticizing T-Law's performance. Even if the Jaguars still fell short, but he didn't throw a pick, the narrative would be different.

But that's football, and that's sports, and that's human nature. Outside of that final interception, Lawrence played a decent game. He finished with 238 total yards, three touchdowns, and one turnover on all the other snaps. The first pick was bad, much worse than his game-sealing interception in a vacuum. He was late to Parker Washington on an intermediate crosser, and Shaq Thompson was able to jump the route with ease. He had a few other turnover-worthy plays, but the near-interceptions don't stick in the hippocampus.

Jacksonville Jaguars, NFL playoffs, Buffalo Bills, Wild Card, Trevor Lawrence, Josh Allen — Jan 11, 2026; Jacksonville, FL, USA; Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen (17) and Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence (16) after an AFC Wild Card Round game at EverBank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images | Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images

Trevor Lawrence didn't 'let it rip'

On Lawrence's final snap of the game, he tried to squeeze the ball into a window that was never really there. Tre'Davious White had Jakobi Meyers smothered, made a great play on the pass, and Cole Bishop was in position to reel in the carom. Contrary to popular belief, there wasn't anything else open there. That's one that Lawrence should have just thrown away, or maybe used his legs to try to extend the play and see if anything would develop downfield.

Db hanging on Meyers the entire route lol. but he’s gotta do a better job getting into dbs chest to create separation. PW wasn’t a thing this play so that can stop pic.twitter.com/c2SXSqAFek
— whirlybird (@HashTaguars) January 12, 2026

Instead, he went through his progressions, completed his drop, and made the best decision he could, according to the design. But nothing was there on that play. Sometimes, playing on time means you're also working within the timing of the defense. That's why Cole Bishop was right there to complete the interception.

And that's really what kept Lawrence from reaching greatness, what really divided him from Josh Allen, who notched another heroic postseason performance under his belt. Allen often took what the Jaguars defense gave him in the win, but when they gave him nothing, he made something happen anyway.

Trevor Lawrence so elusive to avoid the safety

BUFvsJAX on CBS/Paramount+
Stream on @NFLPlus pic.twitter.com/565LXNlgGd
— NFL (@NFL) January 11, 2026

T-Law had done that throughout Jacksonville's eight-game win streak to end the season. He hardly did so against the Bills. His best play of the game was probably his 18-yard run, a scramble that started in his own end zone, when he spun out of pressure and made multiple defenders miss to pick up the first down. He had one deep connection to Parker Washington for 34 yards, with the clock dwindling down in the first half.

What an amazing catch over the middle by Parker Washington pic.twitter.com/AHRzYaQhj2
— Fitz (@LaurieFitzptrck) January 11, 2026

On that play, he let it loose, knowing the Jaguars needed a chunk to get into field-goal range with time working against them. Earlier in the season, Head Coach Liam Coen told him to let it fly and stop worrying about the process of every play. On Sunday, it seemed like Lawrence was determined to be on time and work within the structure of his scheme. Ultimately, it cost Jacksonville its season.

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