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Rookie who stood out: LB Travon Walker

How about a sack and an interception to go along with three tackles for the No. 1 overall pick in his debut? The interception was pretty impressive: He stopped his pass rush when he saw Antonio Gibson out of the corner of his eye slide in behind him, moved to his left and extended his arms to grab Carson Wentz's pass. Walker returned the interception to the 11-yard line and the Jaguars scored on the next play to take a 22-14 fourth-quarter lead. Walker said after the game a No. 1 overall pick is expected to make big plays, and he needs to make more of them.

The Jaguars looked like a more professional operation than the one that debuted with Urban Meyer last year (low bar alert!), but Sunday was a reminder the team has to learn how to win. Trevor Lawrence flashed traits of a franchise cornerstone, but his fourth-quarter interception was another example of the young quarterback trying to force the issue rather than live for another down. That was Lawrence's only turnover on the day, though he also missed an open Travis Etienne on a would-be touchdown in what was an uneven performance overall. Etienne would later drop a walk-in touchdown pass on fourth-and-goal. That kind of day for the Jags, who profile as a frisky but frustrating product.

They had their chances against Washington, but they just couldn't get a late fourth-quarter stop when it was needed. The offense has to be better.

Last year's first-rounders (QB Trevor Lawrence, RB Travis Etienne) need to step it up soon, but this year's first-rounders (OLB Travon Walker, LB Devin Lloyd) came out smoking.

It's nice to dream about playoff contention for a team benefitting from the professionalism bump, but the importance of this season for the Jaguars is making sure they feel good about their back-to-back No. 1 overall picks. Trevor Lawrence led an above-average offensive performance by EPA per drive while going 24-of-42 for 275 yards, one touchdown and an interception. Travon Walker, meanwhile, looked great with a sack and the play of the week.

The Jags were one of four teams that allowed more than 300 passing yards in Week 1, a total that includes 134 yards and two passing touchdowns in the fourth quarter alone in the loss to the Commanders. Combine that sort of defensive meltdown with an inconsistent offensive performance—the OL struggled, and Trevor Lawrence threw a pick with 1:10 remaining—and it's a reminder of just how far the Jaguars have to go.

Maybe Trevor Lawrence just isn't going to be as good as advertised. He missed a few passes, most notably an easy touchdown to Travis Etienne in the first quarter, that would have changed a game that the Jaguars lost by six points. Lawerence still has the benefit of the doubt on his side after a lost rookie season with a bad coach, but it would be nice if he showed more to start his second season.

The good news is that Doug Pederson was on the plane back to Jacksonville.