Trevor Lawrence’s professional debut opened with a sack and a fumble, hardly ideal but not overly concerning for the Jacksonville Jaguars.
The No. 1 overall pick in the NFL draft rebounded, delivering a couple of impressive throws and somewhat salvaging his first preseason game — a 23-13 loss to the Cleveland Browns on Saturday night. Lawrence started over Gardner Minshew and completed 6 of 9 passes for 71 yards in two series. The most important part for Jacksonville: the former Clemson star left TIAA Bank Field healthy. There had to be some worry after Lawrence was sacked on the team’s first play.
Lawrence was taken down again on his second drive but responded with his best throw: a 35-yarder to Marvin Jones on third down. That one, however, came after Lawrence held the ball way longer than quarterbacks normally get away with in the NFL.
Meyer lamented having just 120 yards of offense at halftime — Cleveland had 240 — and a failed fourth-down run on Lawrence’s second drive. Lawrence failed to lead Jacksonville to points. The biggest takeaway was his offensive line, a veteran unit that failed to handle Cleveland’s backups. The Browns held out most of their starters, including quarterback Baker Mayfield, running back Nick Chubb, receivers Jarvis Landry and Odell Beckham Jr., cornerback Denzel Ward, and defensive ends Myles Garrett and Jadeveon Clowney.
Meyer, also making his NFL debut, countered by playing every starter except receiver DJ Chark (finger) and left guard Andrew Norwell (elbow). So what should have been an advantage for Jacksonville looked more like a mismatch. The Browns, widely considered a playoff contender after finishing 11-5 last season, dominated both lines of scrimmage and moved the ball up and down the field. They led 13-0 at halftime and could have been up bigger had Stefanski called for a chip-shot field goal from the 6-yard line. Instead, third-string quarterback Kyle Lauletta threw incomplete on a fourth-and-goal play.
Lauletta completed 19 of 27 passes for 212 yards and two touchdowns in relief of second-team QB Case Keenum. Minshew was 4 of 8 for 47 yards, with an interception.