Heading into this season, many analysts believed Trevor Lawrence’s MVP-finalist 2025 season was a fluke and that he would return to being an inconsistent, middle-of-the-pack quarterback in 2026.
They were wrong.
Through five games, Lawrence has once again been one of the QBs in the NFL and has led the Jacksonville Jaguars to a 4-1 start and an early two-game lead in the AFC South over the Indianapolis Colts.
Meanwhile, the Houston Texans, picked by many to unseat the Jaguars atop the division, have been one of the league’s most disappointing teams. The Texans are 1-4, and Jacksonville has a chance to put Houston’s chances of winning the South on life support when the two teams face off this week in London.
But back to Lawrence.
After a career year in 2025 in his first season under head coach Liam Coen, Lawrence has picked up right where he left off.
In the first five games, Lawrence has completed 67.1% of his passes (96 of 143). He has thrown for 1,174 yards with 10 touchdowns and only three interceptions. His 63.9 QBR is the best of his career, besting the mark he set last year by 5.6 points.
His passer rating is a whopping 106.8. In his first five seasons, Lawrence’s career-high is 95.2, set in 2022, his second year in the league.
Lawrence was a dark horse pick by some to take home his first MVP award this season after finishing fifth in the voting last year.
Through five games in 2026, Lawrence’s stellar play, combined with Jacksonville’s success, has made the 2021 top overall pick one of the top candidates for the award.
In fact. Kevin Patra of NFL.com has Lawrence third in his MVP rankings heading into Week 6, trailing only Brock Purdy of the San Francisco 49ers and Josh Allen of the Buffalo Bills.
“God-Level”
Patra highlighted Lawrence’s performance in Jacksonville’s dramatic walk-off victory over the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 5, calling some of the plays the Jaguars’ signal-caller made “God-level.”
“Jacksonville didn’t rack up many points in Sunday’s 19-17 win over the Eagles in London, but Lawrence played well for an offense that moved the ball between the 20s. Some of Lawrence’s on-the-move throws were god-level, with pinpoint accuracy. If the Jags had played cleaner in the red zone, they wouldn’t have needed a miraculous comeback to get the W.”
Lawrence threw for 331 yards and hit star WR Parker Washington for a pair of touchdowns, but the Jaguars still needed a 57-yard field goal as time expired to beat an injury-depleted Philadelphia team.
The Jaguars self-destructed with 13 penalties for 100 yards, causing Lawrence to show a rare outburst of frustration during the game.
In the end, Lawrence and the Jaguars made the plays when the game was on the line, with the QB showing the value of an MVP.
Final Thoughts
If Lawrence and the Jaguars continue the level of success they have enjoyed thus far for the rest of the season, Jacksonville’s franchise QB has a terrific chance to take home the hardware.
This is the player everyone expected Lawrence to be coming out of Clemson, and Coach Coen was finally able to bring it out of him.
With Lawrence and Coen becoming one of the NFL’s elite QB/HC duos, the future of the Jaguars is incredibly bright.
