Trevor Lawrence fantasy owners are beside themselves after an inexplicable decision in a fourth-quarter blowout. The Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback led his team to a 35-6 win over the New England Patriots on Sunday, but he made a call in the final minutes that had fans and gamblers reaching for their phones. It was a rout, and the quarterback chose to preserve the margin instead of adding to it.
The Situation
The Jaguars were up 28-6 with just under nine minutes left in the game. Lawrence took a designed quarterback keeper on third and three and broke into the clear. He had the ball, the end zone was open, and the game was a rout.
Instead, he slid at the one-yard line.
What Fantasy Owners Saw
Lawrence could have added a rushing touchdown. That would have given the Jaguars a four-score lead with just over half a quarter left. The Patriots looked anemic on offense, mustering two field goals the entire game.
Even if New England somehow found the end zone four times in the next eight minutes, they still would have needed at least one two-point conversion just to tie the ballgame. The math didn’t favor the Patriots, and the decision to hold the ball made sense from a defensive standpoint.
The Outcry
The internet did the outrage for everyone. A bunch of angry fantasy football owners and amateur gamblers were ready to throw their phones through a wall after this one. The writer admits they don’t get the move, but they also don’t think there’s anything nefarious going on.
“I don’t get the move, but I certainly don’t think there’s anything nefarious going on.”
The Explanation
Lawrence gave a tongue-in-cheek answer when speaking during his postgame interview. The writer frames this as a win for the conspiracy theorists who were already riled up.
“Stand up and take a bow, conspiracy theorists. You were right this time.”
The Logic Behind It
The writer understands why Lawrence might have wanted to burn as much time as possible. A touchdown there gives you a four-score lead, but it also gives the other team the ball. In a rout, that might not matter. In a game where the Patriots were struggling to score at all, it might feel like overkill.
The decision also preserved the ball for the Jaguars. A touchdown would have given New England possession, and in a rout, that possession matters less than the clock. The Patriots were already struggling to find the end zone, so the risk of giving them the ball seemed low.
The Numbers
| Team | Score |
|---|---|
| Jaguars | 35 |
| Patriots | 6 |
The Patriots managed two field goals the whole game. That is a wide gap.
The Schedule
The Jaguars are three games into their season, sitting atop the AFC South. Last year, they went 13-4, their best season since 1999. The quarterback’s play was a big part of that AFC Championship run.
The Podcast Pitch
The writer runs a podcast called The Craig Carton Show, described as “UNFILTERED, UNAPOLOGETIC AND UNMISSABLE.”
The Verdict
The move was strange, but it wasn’t evil. Lawrence wanted to burn time, and in a blowout, that logic holds up even if the execution looked odd on TV.
The outrage was real, the explanation was funny, and the Jaguars kept winning.
Source material: “Trevor Lawrence fantasy owners are beside themselves after inexplicable decision in fourth quarter blowout,” Fox News.
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