Jaguars 24, Texans 21
Q. (On the importance of this win and whether it sends a message).
TREVOR LAWRENCE: I don't know. I don't know how other people will take it, but it doesn't really matter. I think this was a huge division game. You look at how well Houston has been playing, they were kind of nipping at our heels in the division, so this was a big game. They win this game, we're all square, and they beat us twice, so they're first place in the division, and we don't really control our own destiny anymore.
Of course you do in other senses, wildcard and all those things big picture, but for us to be able to continue to control our own destiny, it's up to us and how we play. We just keep winning we don't have anything to worry about. We're going to find ourselves in a good spot. I think in that sense it's a huge game. Sending a message, I don't know about that, but I think to take more control of this division and take that next step and solidify ourselves, I think it's a huge game, and we did a great job finding a way to win.
Q. Doug talked about how he wanted you guys to learn how to finish games. Is this an example of that and what was it like going back and forth throughout the game?
TREVOR LAWRENCE: Yeah, that was a really good team, and we anticipated it being a four-quarter game going down to the end. You never know how it's going to go and you hope you can take control earlier and make it a little less stressful on yourself, but those type of games are important because that's the way games get at the end of the year. You're going to get everyone's best. Everyone is fighting, they're scratching, they're clawing to try to win these games, to put themselves in position for the playoffs and postseason, all those things. You're going to get everyone's best every week.
Those are how games are, and you've got to be able to win those games, even though it's not pretty. Of course I feel like we left a lot out there and could have maybe taken control of the game earlier and put ourselves in a better position.
But it takes a lot of perseverance to go finish those games, especially when there's some mistakes and some things that happen. They made some huge plays throughout the game to really flip the momentum and stay in the game and then give themselves a shot. For us to be able to go finish, our defense there, getting those sacks, that was huge.
It's cool to see our defense be able to finish the game for us when offensively we were moving the ball but kept kind of stalling out on the 50-, 40-yard line in their territory. We've got to be better there and be able to close out the game. But it was cool to see our defense play great.
Q. Talk about the offensive line play without Cam.
TREVOR LAWRENCE: They did a great job. Protection was awesome. I don't think I got sacked. No sacks today. Those guys are playing their tails off. Obviously we had Ezra jump in there and had to play the rest of the game, and he did a great job. He's going to help us, and it's cool to see him be able to get up to speed that fast. He just got here.
They did a heck of a job obviously stepping in for Cam. Hopefully all is well with Cam. Definitely praying for him and hope it's nothing major. But that guy brings a lot of energy and worked hard to get back from injuries in the past, so you kind of hate it for him.
Hopefully it's nothing major, but it's cool to see those guys step up and be able to shuffle around and still play well, and protection was awesome. Ran the ball great when we needed to. It was great.
Q. (Indiscernible) in the first half. Did that impact momentum at all?
TREVOR LAWRENCE: Yeah, I think so. Obviously that's a huge play for them. We went from -- I'm trying to think how that whole thing went down. I think they missed the kick, so they think they're going to get three points, they miss the kick, we get an opportunity, hit a couple plays, and we hit a big one to Christian, almost scores, and there's still a second left. We took our shot and tried to score and get seven, especially getting the ball out of halftime, so that's potentially a 14-point swing that you can get if you score before the half and then you get the ball and score again.
I mean, that close. They made a great play on defense. I think obviously you want to bet on yourself in that situation. You're on the 1-yard line; let's go get seven instead of three.
I liked the aggressiveness. We've just got to find a way to get in. That's tough. They made a great play. Got to give them to credit. Yeah, it's a big opportunity for a big momentum swing for us if we score that touchdown there.
Q. You've talked all season about trying to get that chemistry with Calvin. Did it feel like it was there today?
TREVOR LAWRENCE: For sure, we're getting better every week. It's coming along with not just Calvin but the whole offense. We're getting better, we're being more explosive, kind of moving the ball at will. We're doing a lot of great things. We've got to play cleaner; too many mistakes, too many dumb penalties, too many missed opportunities still, even with all the things that we did well.
I mean, it's a lot easier, like I said, to get better and coach off a win. It's a lot more fun anyway. We know what we've got to do. We've got to continue to get better. It's a week-to-week business. We've got to bring the same juice next week and play well.
Q. Did he get a little slowed up on that -- it looks like by the way you led him you expected him to be like a yard further.
TREVOR LAWRENCE: Yeah, it's a good question. I don't want to get in trouble with anything I say. I think there was definitely some contact there, but you've got to play the game. There's things that happen, and Stingley made a great play. He was actually covering Calvin, and we got what we wanted, and then No. 5 I think maybe grabbed a little cloth there and held him up and they got the pick. They made a great play. We've got to bounce back from those things, and we were able to, fortunately, because that could have been a big momentum swing, and we were able to find a way to win the game.
Q. What would you say about not just the day that he had but making the plays in the end, talking about Josh. Fatigue sets in, pass rushers are tired, linemen are tired, you're chasing Stroud all over the place. What can you say about what he was able to contribute to the win?
TREVOR LAWRENCE: Just like I said, the defense, bearing down when we needed it. I told one of the defensive guys, I've never seen a guy scramble that much in one game. He's just getting around, finding a way to avoid rushers. Seemed like we had good rush the whole game, and he just kept finding lanes and kept extending plays, and I'm sure as a DB that's like the worst thing is when you're covering for five seconds because he's extending plays and scrambling around.
They did a great job offensively of being able to do that and extend plays, but then our pass rush really stepped up at the end of the game and got some huge sacks. You look at both those plays -- he almost made it, but to keep them out of field goal range and make that a 58-, 59-yarder, that's huge. If you let them get some yards there and they're kicking a 50-yarder, that's a big difference. That won us the game, and our defense really stepped up when we needed them.
Q. Did you watch the kick?
TREVOR LAWRENCE: Yeah, I watched it. Stressful. When it came off his foot, I was like, oh, it looks short because he kicked it real high, and then it just kept going, and I'm like, ugh, I think he made it, and then it doinked off the -- it's crazy how that happened. Just great job by our defense keeping them out of field goal range.
Q. From the outside the way he's playing, the way you guys are playing, the idea of a rivalry between you and C.J. Stroud is an exciting prospect for a fan. Is that something you get into at all?
TREVOR LAWRENCE: I want the teams in our division to be as bad as possible, so that's how I see it, and the way they're playing, it's exciting, yes, there's going to be some -- I'm sure some great match-ups down the road, and C.J. is playing lights out. He's doing a great job. To be rookie and to play how he is, I've got a lot of respect for him. I know how hard it is. I've been in that position.
He's doing a great job, and it's going to be fun for years to come hopefully. But no, I wouldn't prefer that. I'd prefer if the guys in our division didn't have good quarterbacks. It would be better for us.
But he's doing a heck of a job, and he's going to keep getting better. He's still obviously young and a rookie, and to be playing how he is now, it's impressive. It's impressive to watch. It's going to be fun.
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