Chicago Bears rookie quarterback Caleb Williams and Jacksonville Jaguars fourth-year starter Trevor Lawrence seem to be heading in different directions.
Williams appears to be a player on an upward trajectory, while it looks like Lawrence is stuck in a downward spiral.
In Sunday's matchup between the former No. 1 overall picks, Williams outdueled Lawrence.
During a 35-16 victory in London, England, Williams completed 23-of-29 passes for 226 yards, four touchdowns and one interception, posting a stellar 88.2 QBR.
According to Josh Dubow of the Associated Press, the 22-year-old became the first Bears rookie QB to throw four-plus TDs in a game since Cade McNown did it against the Detroit Lions on Dec. 19, 1999.
4th TD for Caleb
— NFL (@NFL) October 13, 2024
2nd TD for Keenan
The @ChicagoBears are rolling in London.
: #JAXvsCHI on NFL Network
: Stream on #NFLPlus pic.twitter.com/WeNKcGonoq
Lawrence, meanwhile, finished 23-of-35 passing for 234 yards, two TDs and one pick, recording an above-average 66.3 QBR. He was also sacked three times for 20 yards.
Lawrence and Co. failed to capitalize on key opportunities. Jaguars wide receiver Gabe Davis dropped a potential TD early in the first quarter. The QB also misfired on a deep pass to rookie wideout Brian Thomas Jr., with Jacksonville trailing 21-3 early in the third quarter.
Trevor Lawrence knew he missed this one pic.twitter.com/6il8rEIiMM
— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) October 13, 2024
After a 1-2 start, the Bears have won three straight, and their offense seems to be clicking.
Over its past three games, Chicago has averaged 31.6 points per game. During this stretch, Williams has completed 74 percent of his passes for 687 yards, seven TDs and one interception.
The Jaguars are now 1-5. They've only scored 20 or more points twice this season. Lawrence has only surpassed 250 passing yards once this season and has completed less than 60 percent of his passes in four of six starts.
Of course, not all blame falls on Lawrence. Entering their matchup against Chicago, the Jaguars ranked 12th in the NFL in drop rate (4.9 percent) and 28th in yards after the catch per reception (4.6 yards), via Pro Football Reference.
But Jacksonville likely expected Lawrence to elevate his supporting cast when it gave him a five-year, $275M deal this offseason.
Ken Maguire of the Associated Press reported Jaguars head coach Doug Pederson received a "vote of confidence" from ownership on Saturday. Still, the organization should consider making a coaching change.
Clearly, the Jaguars must see whether they can get more out of Lawrence. Conversely, the Bears look like they're already maximizing Williams' skills.
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