As Armstead mentioned, Jacksonville’s 34-20 Week 16 win over the Denver Broncos was undoubtedly the highlight of Lawrence’s season. Against the league’s No. 3 defense in points allowed, Lawrence went 23 of 36 for 279 yards and three touchdowns, and he added another score with his legs. He put up those numbers and led the Jags to victory despite being pressured on 48.8% of his dropbacks, the fourth-highest percentage of his career, according to Next Generation Stats.
His big game wasn’t limited to that performance against the AFC’s top seed, though. The outing that caught Armstead’s attention came on the heels of a 330-yard, five-TD sack of the New York Jets defense the week before, and both contests were part of an eight-game hitting streak to end the regular season in which Lawrence threw for 2,009 yards and 24 touchdowns against 6 touchdowns against 13-win AFC South Jackson.
However, one of the knocks against Lawrence is consistency year in and year out. Five seasons into his career, Lawrence has only produced two standout campaigns. He made his only Pro Bowl in 2022 and appeared to flip a switch heading into the 2025 midseason.
Plus, while head coach Liam Coen seems to have unlocked Lawrence’s potential in their first year together, the league has seen this before. Lawrence woke up in his first season with Doug Pederson, only to be cut short in 2023-2024 as Jacksonville endured a two-year playoff drought.
The onus now will be on Lawrence to maintain his momentum under Coen, a task made easier by the Jaguars stocking his wide receiver room with Brian Thomas Jr., Jakobi Meyers, Parker Washington and Travis Hunter.
Most conversations about an elite quarterback heading into the 2026 season will likely dismiss Armstead with Lawrence, but if the QB continues to accumulate success like he saw in the back half of his previous campaign, that could change in a hurry.