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Interim coach Mike McCoy reflected on two conversations from his past in previewing the Tennessee Titans final game of the 2025 season.
The first came in 2022 when McCoy was Jacksonville's quarterbacks coach. Trevor Lawrence, a former No. 1 pick who struggled as a rookie, still hadn't found his footing in Year 2. He was on his third coach in two seasons and, eight games into 2022, the Jaguars were 2-6. Lawrence was putting up below-average performance after below-average performance, culminating in a 21-17 loss in London where Lawrence threw two interceptions and a putrid 4.3 yards per attempt to hand the Jags their fifth straight loss.
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"We were over in London and him and Marissa, his wife, were over there eating," McCoy said Dec. 31. "We were getting ready to get on a plane and had a little delay there before we went over to the airport. So I went over and talked to him and said ‘Listen, buddy, you’re doing a great job. It’s the first year. There’s some things you’re learning in this system. It’s going to click at some point in time. I promise you.’ "
When the Jaguars returned from London, Lawrence took the leap. Jacksonville won seven of their next nine to end the regular season, clinching an AFC South title in the process. Come playoff times, Lawrence engineered one of the biggest comebacks in postseason history to give the Jaguars a rare playoff win.
There've been ups and downs since, but now Lawrence leads the Jaguars (12-4) against the Titans (3-13) at EverBank Stadium on Jan. 4 (noon CT, FOX) with a chance at earning the AFC's No. 1 seed.
McCoy sees similarities between rookie Cam Ward's position in 2025 and Lawrence's in 2022. Which is why McCoy points to a conversation he and Ward had ahead of the New England game in Week 7, McCoy's first game as interim coach after Brian Callahan was fired.
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"I think one of the first conversations Cam and I had back that New England week was getting better every week and continuing to improve," McCoy said. "There’s something you’re going to learn every week."
Ward's growth has been fairly similar to Lawrence's. The Jaguars won a lot more games as a result of Lawrence's transformation, but consider the following: In Lawrence's nine games after the London trip, he improved his passer rating by 19.8 points over the start of the year. In Ward's seven games since his bye week, he's improved his passer rating by 17.1 points over the start of the year. Ward's starting point was lower, but the growth is roughly equivalent.
"Each week you’re going to learn something," McCoy said. "The key is that you’re playing your best football at the end of the year, so when you walk off the field at the end of the year, you know you got better every week and you’re going (up). That’s what he’s doing."
Nick Suss is the Titans beat writer for The Tennessean. Contact Nick at nsuss@gannett.com. Follow Nick on X @nicksuss. Subscribe to the Talkin’ Titans newsletter for updates sent directly to your inbox.
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Comparing Titans QB Cam Ward's growth to Trevor Lawrence of Jaguars
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