Why Trevor Lawrence Must Be the Calm in the Storm

The Jacksonville Jaguars face one huge disadvantage against the Buffalo Bills in the first round of the playoffs: experience.

Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence (16) scores a two point conversion between Los Angeles Chargers defensive tackle Sebastian Joseph-Day (69) and defensive tackle Breiden Fehoko (96) during the fourth quarter of an NFL first round playoff football matchup Saturday, Jan. 14, 2023 at TIAA Bank Field in Jacksonville, Fla. The Jacksonville Jaguars edged the Los Angeles Chargers on a field goal 31-30. | Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Union / USA TODAY NETWORK

The Jacksonville Jaguars have come a long way. In their first year under Head Coach Liam Coen, they went from an abysmal 4-13 record last season to AFC South champions at 13-4 with just one offseason in between, albeit one with a ton of turnover. Coen has been the primary reason for Jacksonville's incredible turnaround in 2025, but he's hardly the only difference on the team.

Jacksonville revamped its entire staff before the year, including replacing Trent Baalke with new general manager James Gladstone. He oversaw the rest of the transformation, with the Jaguars boasting a near-50-percent roster turnover rate from last season. Several of the key pieces for Jacksonville's run to the postseason were newcomers.

Sep 23, 2024; Orchard Park, New York, USA; Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence (16) runs out of the pocket against the Buffalo Bills in the second quarter at Highmark Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark Konezny-Imagn Images | Mark Konezny-Imagn Images

Jaguars don't have much experience in this arena

The Jacksonville Jaguars are entering their first playoff game since the 2022 season. It's not like that was a distant past, but there are only a few pieces still on the roster from that run. On the bright side, several of the cornerstones of this team are holdovers from years past.

In the first round, the Jaguars are hosting the Buffalo Bills. Josh Allen and his guys have been in the postseason the past six years straight. Jacksonville might be the better overall team, but Buffalo clearly has the edge in playoff experience. With so many of the Jaguars getting their first taste of the postseason atmosphere on Sunday, they'll have to lean on the ones who have seen the bright lights before, including Trevor Lawrence.

If you maxed out every QB in the AFC playoffs and each had their best game, whose performance could compete with Josh Allen’s?@danorlovsky7 has Trevor Lawrence. pic.twitter.com/ym15mbtFdJ

— UNSPORTSMANLIKE (@UnSportsESPN) December 18, 2025

Jacksonville media asked the quarterback what he's been saying to his greener teammates: "Yeah, just that it's a little bit of a different feeling, you're pretty juiced for the game, but like I just said, it's still just a football game, so you’ve got to try to settle in as quick as possible."

"Not that people aren't playing hard every Sunday — people are playing hard every Sunday — but there is that uptick of just because there's so much in the line. Like I said, you lose, you go home, so there's that extra drive: the finishing plays, the running around, guys making plays all over the field. That extra uptick in effort from some players, I guess, but this league, everybody plays hard. So even that, I'd say it's just a game, and you’ve got to just settle in as quick as possible. Don't let the moment get too big."

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