Trevor Lawrence has performed by means of knee and high-ankle sprains this season, and the previous No. 1 total choose navigated concussion protocol to return final week. Sadly, the Jaguars quarterback’s iron-man begin to his profession will cease Sunday.
The Jags dominated out their starter for his or her Week 17 sport towards the Panthers. Lawrence is battling a sprained AC joint that pressured him out of a Week 16 blowout loss to the Buccaneers. Regardless of the Jags’ current swoon, they won’t rush their franchise QB again to work. C.J. Beathard will take the reins towards Carolina.
This comes at an important level for Jacksonville, which has misplaced its previous three video games to drop to 8-7 and right into a three-way tie for first place within the AFC South. The losses have come after Lawrence suffered an ugly-looking harm towards the Bengals, and whereas he made a stunning restoration in time to play by means of that prime ankle sprain, his efficiency has suffered since that Monday-night sequence. The Bucs ran up a giant lead on the Jags earlier than Lawrence left the sport as a consequence of his new shoulder harm.
Lawrence, 24, by no means missed a sport as a consequence of harm at Clemson, both. The 2021 prime choose missed two contests as a junior as a consequence of COVID-19. This AC joint situation will cease his 49-start streak within the NFL. Lawrence has not practiced this week. The Jags will depend on Beathard, in his third season with the crew, to maintain them afloat within the AFC playoff race.
Whereas the much-hyped younger expertise has loved moments that remind of his draft inventory this season, it has not introduced the breakthrough many anticipated. The Jaguars handing the play-calling reins to OC Press Taylor, after Doug Pederson referred to as the photographs final season, has produced a slight dip — from tenth to thirteenth — in each whole and scoring offense. DVOA slots the Jags’ offense fifteenth; Lawrence ranks thirteenth in QBR. The 6-foot-6 signal-caller has thrown 12 interceptions and ranks third amongst QBs this season with 12 fumbles; he misplaced seven of these. Eight of Lawrence’s 19 turnovers have come up to now three video games.
The Jaguars can have the chance to increase Lawrence in 2024, however with the fifth-year possibility permitting them to push his rookie contract by means of 2025, it’s potential the crew might press pause as a consequence of his rocky third season. Lawrence will nonetheless enter the 2024 season because the unquestioned Jags QB1, however the crew has not taken off like many assumed it will following a late-season surge that culminated with the 27-point playoff rally.
Beathard, 30, has signed two contracts with the Jags. The City Meyer-year funding re-signed — on a two-year, $4.5M deal — this offseason. The previous third-round choose has not made a begin since Week 17 of the 2020 season, a 273-yard exhibiting in a slender 49ers loss to the Seahawks. For his profession, Beathard has made 12 begins; the 49ers went 2-10 in these video games. He’s a profession 59.9% passer (6.9 yards per try).
Not solely is Beathard now a central determine within the Jaguars’ hopes to repeat as division champions for the primary time for the reason that late Nineteen Nineties, the 2-13 Panthers abruptly have a greater likelihood to win — a growth that might have an effect on the 2024 draft order.