Trevor Lawrence put up another strong performance on Monday, leading the Jacksonville Jaguars to a lopsided victory over the New England Patriots, 35-6, at EverBank Stadium.
Lawrence went 19-of-29 for 182 yards, three touchdowns, and one interception. He had a clear path to score on a rush with eight minutes left in the fourth quarter. He, however, surprisingly took a knee at the one-yard line.
In the postgame interview, the 26-year-old quarterback was candid in explaining his puzzling decision.
“In hindsight, I probably should have just scored because we scored the very next play. I was trying to run the clock out a little bit. I'm trying to help support the Bhayshul Tuten Fantasy people out there,” said Lawrence.
Tuten scored on a one-yard rush after Lawrence's controversial move. The 23-year-old running back finished with game-highs of 15 carries and 73 rushing yards.
Fans, however, were far not convinced by Lawrence's explanation, leading to conspiracy theories.
“All I heard him say was ‘Vegas wins every time, you know that,'” said @wudroww.
“Some naive fools in here saying ‘respect' for this Tuten nonsense. Lawrence was told not to score today,” added @BlueLineBandits.
“The NFL is ruined. This kind of stuff will open the door for all kinds of rigged plays,” claimed @GMSportsPro.
“So he admits he's fixing a game! Fixing the outcome! That's against the golden rule!” exclaimed @benfartin12.
“Nah, buddy, you were securing that leg in your parlay,” posted @TyroilDidIt.
“This honestly sounds just as bad as mentioning a point spread. How is this any different? Seems like a giant conflict of interest going on when people are gambling on sites that sponsor the actual league,” wrote @Barstool_Sotey.
As of this writing, the NFL has not yet commented on the matter.
The Jaguars will visit the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 4.