NFL fans label Trevor Lawrence as "bust" after Jaguars QB's poor outing vs Baker Mayfield's Bucs - "The prince is dead"

"Trevor Lawrence will be the savior of the Jacksonville Jaguars." This was the notion in everyone's minds when the Jaguars drafted him first overall in 2021.

After a rough start under Urban Meyer, the highly-rated quarterback finally found his form in 2022 under Doug Pedersen. After a 3-7 start, the Jaguars won six of their next seven, including five consecutive to end their campaign, and clinched the AFC South for the first time since "Sacksonville."

They then erased a 27-0 deficit to defeat the Los Angeles Chargers in the Wild Card before dropping a hard-fought Divisional game at the Kansas City Chiefs. The future seemed bright for Lawrence and company, but then came 2023.

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Jacksonville Jaguars suffer 30-12 rout at Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Trevor Lawrence receives criticism and mockery

Heading into their bye week, the Jacksonville Jaguars looked like the runaway choice to clinch the division. Sitting at 6-2, they seemed to be in cruise control, but since then they have gone a miserable 2-5, including a 30-12 humiliation against a resurgent Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday.

And there was no better indication of their struggles than Trevor Lawrence's performance: fewer than 20 completions, just one touchdown against two interceptions, and three sacks (one causing a turnover) before checking out in the third quarter with an apparent shoulder injury.

After the game, X/Twitter was rife with derision for Trevor Lawrence:

Lawrence himself acknowledged the situation, telling reporters after the game:

"We look lost. No sense of urgency. The list goes on and on... We've worked hard to be in this position and we're close to pissing it away, so we've got to figure it out."

The loss puts the Jaguars in a shocking 8-7 tie with the Houston Texans and Indianapolis Colts, who had been widely expected to be non-contending teams amid a rebuild.

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Tampa Bay Buccaneers on a high after regaining NFC South lead with rout of Jacksonville Jaguars

Meanwhile, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers could not have chosen a better time to step up their game.

Against the Jaguars, they scored an astounding 30 points, their second straight game with at least that many. Quarterback Baker Mayfield was once again stellar, throwing two TD passes to Mike Evans. Rachaad White also rushed for a touchdown while Chase McLaughlin was perfect on his six kicks.

That puts them at 8-7, and with the New Orleans Saints and Atlanta Falcons also losing on Sunday, it means they are leading the NFC South again. The Buccaneers can further solidify their hold over the division against the Saints next week.