Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence missed his team’s win over the Carolina Panthers this past Sunday due to a shoulder injury, but he seems on track to return for the season finale.
Jaguars head coach Doug Pederson provided a rather encouraging update on his signal-caller on Monday, saying that Lawrence is on the mend.
“It [Lawrence’s shoulder] is definitely improving,” Jaguars coach Doug Pederson said, via Garry Smits of The Florida Times-Union. “I would expect him to potentially get more practice time this week and hopefully he’s in a position to play in this game.”
Jacksonville will take on the Tennessee Titans next Sunday with the AFC South division title on the line. The Jags, Indianapolis Colts and Houston Texans are all 9-7, but the Jaguars are in first place by way of the tiebreaker. If they are able to beat the Titans, they will win the division.
Lawrence injured his shoulder during his team’s Week 16 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. It marked the third injury that the youngster had suffered over the last several weeks.
Back in Week 13, Lawrence sustained a high-ankle sprain in Jacksonville’s overtime loss to the Cincinnati Bengals, but it ended up not being severe and he played through it. Then, in Week 15, Lawrence experienced a concussion in a loss to the Baltimore Ravens. His status for the Buccaneers was up in the air at first, but he cleared protocol in time to make the trip to Tampa.
Unfortunately, Lawrence’s injury luck ran out this past weekend.
The good news is that C.J. Beathard was able to do just enough in Lawrence’s stead, going 17-for-24 with 178 yards. He didn’t turn the ball over in the Jags’ 26-0 win.
Trevor Lawrence has thrown for 3,736 yards, 19 touchdowns and 12 interceptions while completing 65.5 percent of his passes and posting a passer rating of 89.1 in what has been a disappointing campaign overall for the Clemson product, especially after his breakout year last season.
The Jaguars were 8-3 at one point earlier in the year and seemed destined to cruise to an AFC South crown, but they then endured a four-game losing streak and are now fighting for their playoff lives.
Jacksonville, which won the division last year, has not made back-to-back postseason appearances since the 1999-00 campaign.
Want the latest NFL analysis, breaking news, and insider information? Click here. Interested in reading storylines and analysis about the NBA? Check out our partner NBA Analysis Network.
