Jaguars' Trevor Lawrence breaks hex, finally wins at Superdome - ESPN

NEW ORLEANS — New Orleans hasn't exactly been the Big Easy for Trevor Lawrence.

The only two games he lost in his three-year career as Clemson's starting quarterback came in the Caesars Superdome, and his second preseason game as a rookie with the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2021 also resulted in a loss. That's one of the reasons he was so set on playing against the New Orleans Saints on Thursday night despite having a sprained left knee.

And that's another reason the Jags' 31-24 victory — in which Lawrence connected with Christian Kirk on the winning touchdown pass — was so rewarding.

«I've had a bad taste in my mouth every time I've left New Orleans, so it feels good to get a win here,» he said.

For Lawrence, the two College Football Playoff games he lost still sting: to LSU in the national championship game following the 2019 season and to Ohio State in a semifinal game the following season, which was the last game of his college career, leaving his record as a starter at 34-2.

Lawrence got his first victory in the Superdome only four days after suffering a sprained left knee late in the Jaguars' 37-20 victory over Indianapolis. It didn't look like he'd be able to play early in the week — head coach Doug Pederson said he thought on Monday that Lawrence wasn't going to play — but Lawrence said his knee felt better as the week wore on. After moving well during a pregame warmup, he got the clearance to play.

Lawrence said he did have some pain in his knee, but he wasn't wearing the brace at his postgame news conference and said he came through the game OK.

«It felt pretty good,» he said. «I was happy with it, and it didn't bother me too much. Definitely didn't set it back, so I'm really happy with it. That was the goal: Find