By Wes Long | Published | No Comments
Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence suffered an apparent high ankle sprain in the fourth quarter of last nights game against the Cincinnati Bengals. The injury occurred as Lawrence dropped back to pass on a critical third down. Bengals defensive end Trey Hendrickson came around the edge, as the Bengals brought pressure. Jaguars left tackle Walker Little, picked up the pressure from Hendrickson, but was pushed backwards causing his foot to step on Lawrence’s ankle, as the ball was fumbled forward.
The play was ruled a sack and a fumble, with the ball ultimately recovered by the Jaguars. As Lawrence went down, he stayed seated on the field for several seconds, grabbing his ankle in obvious pain. Lawrence was initially helped to his feet by Hendrickson, but went back down to the turf just a few moments later. Lawrence was helped to the sideline and eventually taken back into the locker room for further treatment.
Trevor Lawrence was helped off the field after suffering an ankle injury on this play. #CINvsJAX pic.twitter.com/1cMH9k6l1t
— ESPN (@espn) December 5, 2023
Jaguars head coach Doug Pederson confirmed Tuesday morning that Lawrence had indeed suffered a high ankle sprain. Pederson did not elaborate as to any kind of timeline as to when Lawrence would be able to make his next start.
The Jaguars will face Cleveland on the road next Sunday, before returning home on December 17th for a huge game against the Ravens. That game could have a huge impact on the AFC playoff race, including critical seeding. Before Monday night’s game, the Jaguars were the second seed in the AFC, just a game behind Miami. With the loss, the Jaguars fall to the fourth seed.
Worse for Jacksonville is that the Houston Texans also gained ground by virtue of their win on Sunday over Denver. The Texans are 7-5 and just a game back of Jacksonville. At the moment, the Texans would be outside of the playoff picture as they sit eight in the AFC. Only the top seven seeds in each conference make it into the playoffs. The Texans, however, have a much more favorable schedule down the stretch than the Jaguars.
The Texans have a two game road trip coming up against the Jets and the Titans. Then they come back home to play the Browns and Titans again, before finishing up their season on the road against the Colts. The Texans will have the advantage of facing back-up quarterbacks in each of their remaining games, as they will see Tim Boyle, Will Levis (twice), Joe Flacco and Gardner Minshew.
Meanwhile, the Jaguars schedule is more challenging. After the Browns on the road this week, they come home to face Lamar Jackson and the Baltimore Ravens. Then it’s back on the road to face Baker Mayfield and the Buccaneers. Despite the Bucs losing record, they have played well this season and four of their seven loses have been by eight points or less. Jacksonville will finish out their season at home against the Panthers, and then on the road against the Titans to conclude their season.
If Lawrence misses several weeks, particularly the week against the Ravens, the Jaguars could find themselves not only in a desperate fight to stave off the Texans for the division lead, but they could also find themselves in a fight to simply make the playoffs.
The Jaguars back-up quarterback is C.J. Beathard. Beathard was a third round pick by the San Francisco 49ers in 2017, and has spent the last three seasons in Jacksonville as Lawrence’s back-up.
