Sam Navarro-Imagn Images
This throw from Trevor Lawrence to Brian Thomas Jr. is worth multiple looks
During the NFL season, Mondays are filled with overreactions.
The Monday following Week 1 is the ultimate example.
After months of offseason buildup, roster movement, training camp action, free agency, and the NFL Draft all the preseason takes go out the window and the games begin for real. Which leads to incredible reactions, and overreactions, on the first Monday of the NFL season.
In the wake of Week 1 of the 2024 NFL season, many are wondering if quarterback play, and the passing games around the league, are in trouble. Passing touchdowns are down from previous seasons, passing yardage is down from recent seasons, and there are even some signs that the run game could be back. Given the small sample size, it is fair to wait to see if these trends continue, but context and patience are hard to find on such an overreaction Monday.
However, given the uneasy frame of mind fans of the passing game are in right now, we wanted to take a moment to highlight just one of the many incredible throws we saw on Sunday. Note, that we will have more to come this week, but here is a little taste, courtesy of Trevor Lawrence.
While the Jacksonville Jaguars lost to the Miami Dolphins by a final score of 20-17, this throw from Lawrence to Brian Thomas Jr. is perhaps a textbook example of “throwing a receiver open.”
Midway through the second quarter, the Jaguars hold a 7-0 lead, and face a 3rd and 11 at the Miami 14-yard line. Thomas runs a deep post route, working from right to left out of a three-receiver bunch.
The Dolphins drop into Cover 2, with linebacker David Long Jr. tasked with carrying Thomas vertically.
Here is the full play in question:
This is an absurd throw. Take a look at where Thomas is when Lawrence lets this pass go:
Thomas is on the goal line, along the left hash mark. But Lawrence, seeing the safety to the left side of the field squatting flat-footed on the curl route from Gabe Davis, knows that Thomas will find open space in the back of the end zone, provided he can lead him there with the football.
Which he does to perfection, doing so with a precise trajectory on this pass. Lawrence has to drop this over the safety, but still get the ball to come down before Thomas drifts out of bounds. This is one of those throws into triple coverage, where the end line and the sideline exist as extra “defenders” on the play.
Take a look at this throw from another angle:
Incredible.
Time will tell if the running game becomes king this year, or if the passing game remains the best way to create explosive plays in the NFL.
But when you can make throws like this, you can create explosive plays in the blink of an eye.
