QUARTERBACK TREVOR LAWRENCE
MEDIA AVAILABILITY
WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 28, 2022
(On his Christmas) “I got to go home, so it was good. I didn’t hit any traffic, so it wasn’t terrible.”
(On if there is redemption motivation playing Houston again this week) “Yeah, you look at the way we
played the first game, especially watching the tape this week going back through it, it’s like some of that
stuff is hard to watch. Offensively and personally didn’t play near my best, and we just left a lot out
there. It’s good to watch it, obviously. You learn a lot, and you see the growth and where we’re at now,
individually where I’m at now and as an offense, the level we’re playing, it’s where you want to be. You
want to be playing well at the right time. You don’t want to go back and change any of it because I think
that’s helped get us to here, but obviously for me, definitely want to play better and give us a chance to
win obviously. That’s the goal every week from here on out. Every game is important. Really just put
together a great game plan. These guys, they play really hard. They’re a really good team, really good
defense. They’re not giving up many points. They’re really good in the red zone. Obviously we didn’t
score much on them when we were here in October, so this is a challenge for us. We’re excited. It’s a
good group.”
(On the reaction this morning when Head Coach Doug Pederson said they were going full speed ahead
and not resting anybody for Sunday’s game) “No reaction from us. That’s kind of what we expected. We
know at this point in the season that’s what we expected. That’s what we want. You’ve got to finish
strong, and that’s the main message, and these are two division games we have left. That doesn’t always
work out that way where you get to finish with two division games. It’s a great opportunity for us. We
lost to this team, like I said, a month or two months ago, whenever it was, so getting a chance to play
them again at their stadium, haven’t beat this team in a while. I’ve never beat the Texans in the last two
years, three games. For me, it’s a game I definitely want to win. Our whole team feels that way. It’s
another opportunity just to show who we are, to put our best foot forward, to play another complete
game, to keep this momentum that we have. If you go out there and lay an egg, no one is feeling good
about that, especially heading into the last week. For us, this game is as big as any game we’ve played all
year, and that’s the mindset, and it’s a division game, and we’re treating it just like that.”
(On if it seems like a different team playing when they watch the film from the last Houston game)
“Definitely. It seems like a different offense, different team. Like I said, we’re just playing so much better
right now, and I think that things like that take time, and you’ve seen the chemistry and everything kind
of just come together at the right time, but also personally, I’m playing better, and like I’ve said before,
in order to win in this league, your quarterback has to play well, and I didn’t play well that day, didn’t
win the game. Then from there on as the season has gone on, just learning from our mistakes and
offensively, learning from things we can do better as a unit. I think every position group is playing better
than they were at that point in the season. We’ve gotten better, and that’s all you can ask for is every
week to get a little bit better, and that’s what we’ve done. Another opportunity, like I said, to do it again
this week.”
(On if this is how he envisioned his NFL career to go when he was getting drafted) “That’s kind of a
tough question. You obviously see yourself having success and doing well, being the player that I know I
could be. Like you said, obviously took a little longer than maybe I wanted at times, some setbacks and
all those things, but it all kind of shaped into the player that I’m becoming, and that’s the thing. We can’t
act like we’ve arrived though, because we still haven’t clinched anything, we still haven’t made the
playoffs. We have two games left to continue to prove who we are and put one foot in front of the next
and keep stacking these games. We can’t look too far ahead and say this is the team we are now. We
have to do it every week. You’re only as good as what you can do every Sunday. Really for us, it’s about
being consistent, continuing to do this. Great teams win these games. Games that you’ve got to win, you
win them. What we’re trying to become is a great team. I think we’re on our way, but we’ve got to keep
doing this consistently, and I’ve got to keep doing it too, as the quarterback and as a player on this team,
it’s all about consistency. I’ve played well over the past month or whatever it is, but I’ve got to keep
doing that, especially if we want to make a run in the playoffs, you want to go deep in the playoffs,
you’ve got to do that even moreso. How I’m looking at it it’s week to week. I think our team has
matured a lot as the season’s gone on. We’ve had a lot of ups and downs. I think I’ve talked about that
little stretch where we were losing a lot in a row, and now we’ve kind of bounced back. I think we
understand more how to win, how to handle those emotions, and how to just move on to the next
week. I think we’ve done a great job at that and that’s the challenge every week and especially at this
point in the year, you’ve got to flip the page and just take it week to week.”
(On where he sees his role in helping the team not look too far ahead but focus on Houston) “The guys
have been great this week. There’s not much conversation about next week and what’s to come and all
that. Each week will take care of itself. You’ve got to take care of business one week at a time, and that’s
the message. More than anything, regardless of who we’re playing, what game it is, how many games
we have left, like I said, it’s an opportunity to keep this momentum we have. We’re playing really good
team ball. We’re playing complimentary. We’re putting together great games, so why would you want
to jeopardize that at this point in our season when we’re kind of hitting our stride? This is just another
opportunity to keep doing that, to keep playing great together and to get another win, obviously,
against a good team. That’s the mindset for us, and I know the guys believe that, and our mindset is let’s
not lose any more this season. That’s what we’ve got in front of us, that’s what we have to do. If we
want to get to where we want to be. That’s the mindset, and that’s kind of what it has to be, and in
order to do that, you’ve got to win. You’ve got to go 1-0 every week, and that’s been the message this
whole season, and it’s working for us, so we’ve just got to keep doing that.”
(On if the consistent snapping of bad streaks is a sign of a culture change or playing better football) “I
think it’s both. It’s a great step in the right direction to break things like that. Obviously, you never want
those to be there in the first place, those bad streaks, but we don’t talk about that stuff. That’s not
something we think about. We don’t go into a game like, ‘Oh, we haven’t won a road game in however
long.’ That’s not something we think about. It’s just when you’re so focused on your job and putting one
foot in front of the next and just building, coach talks about, building your part of the wall, and I think
that’s what everyone has been able to do this year. Keep focusing on your job, and things are going to
come together, and I think everyone’s been able to do that, even when thing weren’t going great,
everyone just kept focusing on their job. No one pointed a finger, and I think that’s kind of the result of
that. Every game we go into, we have that confidence that we can win it and we can beat anybody, and
you’ve seen that this season, so I think that it is. It’s part of the culture change and just the mindset of
this team has been awesome. It’s really been cool to be a part of just to see that confidence really just
build and build every week and to be a part of it and be in the middle of it, it’s been really cool. You can
feel it. I’m sure you guys feel it, too when you watch the games. I think it’s the culture changing, it’s playing good ball, it’s having really good players, it’s all those things. I think guys are playing well at the
right time. It’s all that.”
(On how important WR Christian Kirk is to the team off the field) “He’s been awesome. He approaches
things the right way. He handles his business. He’s a pro. He’s a guy you never have to worry about,
especially as a quarterback. Always knows his job, every possible detail, we’ve talked about almost every
situation, so we’re always on the same page, and just being one of the leaders in that room, the receiver
room, too, for young guys, they have a guy to look at that does things the right way and can follow in his
footsteps, along with Zay (WR Zay Jones) and Marv (WR Marvin Jones), and other guys we have too, but
Christian has been a great addition for us, not only just his production, he’s had a great year, but I think
off the field, the way he’s led and the way he’s really just led by example, and how he goes about his
business has been, I think, impressive. We’re close, too. He’s a good friend of mine. I think that aspect of
it plays into it, too. It all goes together. Got a lot of respect for him and what he’s been able to do.”
(On getting WR Christian Kirk to 1,000 career receiving yards on Sunday) “What does he need? Twelve
yards? I hope we can get him 12 yards! If we can’t do that, we have other problems. We’ll see.”
(On if there is a number that means a lot for a quarterback to hit) “I guess you could say, yeah that
would be a cool accomplishment (hitting 4,000 passing yards on the season). I don’t even know what
typically quarterbacks throw for in a year, so I couldn’t even answer if that’s good. Really, just for me,
the main number I think about is turnovers. That’s something that at the beginning of the year, you
don’t say, ‘Okay, I want to have no more than this amount of picks or whatever it is.’ You don’t really say
that, but it’s just trying to limit that as much as possible. I think as far as interceptions, I’ve done a good
job of limiting those. That’s been a big improvement from last season, so I’m happy with that. Just being
more efficient, things like that. I never really do the numbers thing where I’m like, ‘I need 4,000 yards. I
need 30 touchdowns. I need less than however-many interceptions.’ I don’t really play the game that
way. I think when you worry about that, you kind of are thinking about the wrong things. I do think that
obviously your stats do tell a story of how you’re playing. They don’t tell the whole story, but I think it
paints a pretty good picture of how you’re playing. Obviously you want to have good stats because it
means you played well. You want to have all those, but I don’t really, there’s not a specific number I’ve
been thinking about or anything like that.”
(On if his toe is considerably better than it was a week or two ago) “It’s getting better. It’s one of those
things. It’s sore after games and after moving around, but it’s something that you’ve got to monitor and
take care of and be smart just to where I feel my best on Sunday and I can go play and not worry about
it. It is feeling better though, I will say, compared to every week it’s felt a little better, so we’re headed
in the right direction.”
(On if he thinks he is going to have to deal with his toe issues until the offseason) “Yeah, I think that’s
going to kind of be the way it is. At this point in the year, a lot of people are dealing with things like that
on every team. It’s just one of those things where you just play through it and it’s fine. You know we’ve
been playing fine with it and been able to win some games, so I’m not worried about it, but it will
probably be one of those things where it won’t feel 100% until probably after the season you get off of it
for a couple weeks and all that.”
JAGUARS HEAD COACH DOUG PEDERSON
MEDIA AVAILABILITY
WEDNESDAY, DEC. 28, 2022
(On a statistic on struggling against the AFC South) “I’ve just got to make sure our guys are in the right
mind space this week and ready for this football team because you just put on the tape and really what
they’ve done here in the last month. They’re playing pretty good even though they’ve lost a couple close
ones, but that’s something I think the coaches may talk about, but I don’t mention that with the
players.”
(On if considers this game meaningless because of what they need to make the playoffs) “Not at all.
There’s never a meaningless game. Never, ever, ever. You play to win every game. The only way I rest
players is if they’re hurt and can’t go.”
(On if he sees what the players say about learning from the Lions loss to be dialed in for the Texans
game) “I think you can learn a lot from wins and losses. I think that was one that was kind of a wakeup
call for us. It was on the road, we were in a dome, obviously it was cold weather there in Detroit. It’s
supposed to be 80 degrees in Houston. It’s an AFC South opponent, and they beat us in Week 5. We’ve
got to have a great week of preparation and we understand that, and we’ve still got some unfinished
business.”
(If there is anyone who is injured that would be rested for the game) “Not at this time, no, I think that
everybody will be in a position to play that can play.”
(On signing a long snapper to the practice squad) “Ross (LS Ross Matiscik) has had some back spasms
recently, so we just want to make sure that we’ve got everything protected. Ross will be fine for the
game; we’re not worried about that. He played last Thursday. It was a little bit tight and spasmed up on
him last Thursday, and he battled through it, did a nice job, but it just kind of gives us a little protection
there.”
(On how close OLB Travon Walker is to being able to play) “He’s close. Today will be a big day, as will
each day this week as we get closer to game time.”
(On if he would handle this week any different if the team was more of a veteran group) “Not at all. Full
steam ahead. AFC South opponent, great opponent, team that beat us in Week 5, and just focus on
putting a good week of preparation in.”
(On what has changed about the Texans since the last time they played them) “There’s been a little bit
of injury on defense. The offense, you’re seeing Driscoll (QB Jeff Driscoll) a little bit more playing
quarterback into kind of the RPO zone read world and running the football with him, and all that, but
they’ve dialed back a little bit of their pressure on defense. It’s a sound football team. I look at them on
defense, and they’re a top 10 team in takeaways. They’ve played the Cowboys, the Chiefs, obviously
beat Tennessee. They’ve played well this last month of the season. Good football team, and again, well-
coached, disciplined, and they do things right.”
(On if the two-quarterback system makes things more difficult) “It can. That’s why we have to have a
good week of preparation understanding what they’re trying to get done. I just go back to last Thursday
when they made the quarterback change, and it was kind of a sudden change for us, and it sparked their
offense when he got going. We’ve got to be aware of it, be prepared for it and handle it the right way.”
(On the coaching staff being sent cheesesteaks from the Philadelphia Eagles) “They were pretty good. I
said thanks. It was great because we were all hungry and starving and needed something to eat that
day. We were just trying to win a football game, honestly. I know the implications for the Eagles at the
time, and they’re obviously battling the Cowboys for that division and everything now. It was just a great
win for us, quite honestly. Our guys played extremely well in that game. Something I guess to
commemorate the win.”
(On if he sees what QB Trevor Lawrence talked about how a flip switched in him after the game in
London) “I think it didn’t really manifest until the next game the next week, and it just slowly got better
and better and better with him. You did see it in practice, the way he practiced, the way he prepared.
His focus, the attention to detail. If he wanted a play over again, I let him do it over again, so he can
make a throw or do something else with the football. Sometimes it takes that. It takes a game, a play,
took that one pretty hard from a standpoint of we all need to do a little bit better, and he was no
different.”
(If QB Trevor Lawrence had a lack of preparation or focus up until the London game) I don’t think it was
that. Sometimes you kind of stay in the same mindset, or you do the same things over and over. There
were turnovers in the first part of the season, and he had made some critical mistakes there. I think just
that particular play was just the final straw. He said, ‘Okay, enough is enough. I’ve got to play better.’ I
think that’s how he approached it, which has been great to see from a young player, obviously the
leader and quarterback of your team to be able to identify that then obviously to fix it and move on.”
(On if he was waiting for the moment of the switch to flip for Trevor) “Well, not for him to turn the ball
over, but it’s going to come at some point. It’s going to come with him understanding our offense or
situational football or the turnover/giveaway deal. It’s going to come at some point, and for him (QB
Trevor Lawrence) it was that particular game.”
(On what he sees from the defense playing dominant again) “I think defensively the coaches have kind
of put them in positions to just free up and rush and jet up the field in passing situations. We’ve done
pretty well in the run game, but now it’s a matter of just letting those guys go. There’s a lot of talent
there. You’re seeing DaVon (DT DaVon Hamilton), you’re seeing Roy (DL Roy Robertson-Harris) the last
couple weeks have really good push in the interior of the pocket. You’ve seen Arden (DL Arden Key),
you’ve seen Travon (OLB Travon Walker) and unfortunately Smoot (DL Dawuane Smoot) coming off, and
Josh (OLB Josh Allen) coming off the edge making plays, or TE stunts, things of that nature. I think it’s
allowed them to kind of free up and play attack style of football up front.”
(On who replaces DL Dawaune Smoot) “KC—K’Lavon (OLB K’Lavon Chaisson)—will get more time,
obviously Josh (OLB Josh Allen), Arden (DL Arden Key), get Travon (OLB Travon Walker) back, optimistic
of that. We’ve got those four guys that can and are going to have to fill that role.”
(On if OLB De’Shaan Dixon is close to being able to help fill in roles on defense) “It’s possible. It’s just so
hard getting everybody up and active with some of the injuries that we do have and trying to make it all
work, but he’s been doing well in practice. He’s been elevated a couple times this season already,
limited reps, but he’s getting there.”
(On the confidence in K Riley Patterson and him winning AFC Special Teams Player of the Week) “A lot.
That was tough conditions a week ago. Four out of five field goals in those conditions was pretty
impressive, and he’s well-deserved of that. He’s just shown consistency throughout the course of the
year, and just keeps getting better with every game.”
(On how hard he has seen OLB K’Lavon Chaisson work after coming back from injury) “He’s worked
extremely hard. He knows and he understands that even with a healthy Smoot (DL Dawuane Smoot) his
role was kind of a four-core special teams player, and he came back ready to attack that and be the best
teams player he could knowing he was going to have limited reps on defense. Now his focus can sort of
shift a little bit toward the defense and really make an impact in Smoot’s absence. This will be big, this
week and next week and if we continue on, but he’s put himself in a position to do that.”
(On OLB K’Lavon Chaisson’s discipline and always being on his iPad watching film and studying) “I hope
so! He has. Really, he has. These guys do a great job of preparing, and it’s one of the things I keep sort of
reiterating with them, the hard work and preparation, and part of that is study, being able to take the
iPads home and study them at home or here in the building. He’s done a nice job and really put them in
a good spot.”
(On the disruption of the bowl game this week and moving two practices to Episcopal) “It’s not a big
deal because we did it all of camp. It’s kind of interesting how we started our season over there and now
we’re here at the end of the year and going back over there and kind of reminiscing of training camp
and whatnot, but we understand that the Gator Bowl is going to be here every year. Once we get our
new facility built, it won’t be an issue, but these next couple days, we’ll go over there, and it will be
fine.”
(On how important momentum is this time of year) “You want to continue to play well. You want to
continue to improve each week. That’s where I think the leadership of your football team needs to step
up and really keep the guys focused and grounded. There are a lot of distractions around this week with
the bowl game and traveling a little bit to practice and of course the holiday weekend coming up and
stuff like that, but just staying focused and locked in on their job this time of year, and they keep doing
that, then we keep showing improvement, and we’ll be okay.”
(On if everyone made it back okay from the holiday weekend travel troubles) “Yeah. That’s the reason
why I get everybody together on Monday, just for that reason, make sure everybody’s back in town.
Everybody does a great job handling their business that way. That’s a big part of this. When you start
having success and you put yourself in these meaningful games at the end of the year, how the guys
handle their business. That’s a part of this whole process. They did a nice job.”
(On if there is any concern now that the pressure is on the team having taken over the top spot in the
division) “You kind of want it, honestly. You want it. You want to see how we’re going to respond,
coaches and players. It starts in practice, it starts today. You’ve worked hard to get in this position, a lot
of ups and downs, but you guys have seen sort of the incremental progress throughout the course of the
year. That’s why you play these games. Each game matters. You want to see how the guys will respond
in moments like this.”
(On if CB Shaq Griffin would be able to come off of injured reserve if the season extends) “We haven’t
discussed that yet. I know he’s in the building and he’s rehabbing and getting himself healthy right now.
That’s the first thing. As we get closer, those are all conversations we’ll have, but right now, there hasn’t
been any discussion yet.”
