The Jaguars offense has not lit the world on fire with quarterback C.J. Beathard under center, but their defense has been good enough to keep that from mattering.
Josh Allen has two of the Jaguars’ four sacks and the Panthers managed just 33 yards on their 25 offensive plays in the first half. Three Brandon McManus field goals have the Jaguars up 9-0.
The Panthers probably would have gotten on the board at the end of their first possession of the day, but kicker Eddy Pineiro injured his hamstring in warmups and the team passed on a field goal attempt on a fourth down from the Jaguars’ 21-yard-line. Roy Robertson-Harris sacked Bryce Young and the Panthers would not get close to scoring again in the first half.
Young was looked at in the sideline medical tent after that hit, but he did not miss any snaps. That might change if the Panthers aren’t able to protect him better over the final 30 minutes of Sunday’s game.
The Jaguars won’t have their quarterback for Sunday’s game against the Panthers, but they will get their left tackle back.
Jacksonville has activated Cam Robinson off of injured reserve, the team announced on Saturday.
Robinson by a knee injury since the Week 12 victory over Houston. He’s started seven games this year.
Jacksonville has lost four games in a row since that Nov. 26 win against the Texans. Now at 8-7, the team needs a victory over the Panthers to keep pace in the division.
The Jaguars will have to make it happen without Trevor Lawrence, as the quarterback has been ruled out with a shoulder injury. It will be the first missed game of Lawrence’s career.
Trevor Lawrence will miss the first game of his career.
The Jaguars have ruled out Lawrence with his shoulder injury, which means C.J. Beathard will make his first start since 2020.
Lawrence has had a few close calls when it comes to potentially missing a game this year, but has been able to play through all of his injuries. But this time, Lawrence’s injury was too much to overcome in a week.
In 15 games this season, Lawrence has completed 65.5 percent of his throws for 3,736 yards with 19 touchdowns and 12 interceptions. He’s also rushed for 329 yards with four TDs.
Lawrence had started all 49 games for Jacksonville since the organization selected him at No. 1 overall in the 2021 draft.
Beathard finished last week’s loss to Tampa Bay, completing 11-of-15 passes for 94 yards with a touchdown. He’s appeared in six games this year, completing 23-of-29 throws for 171 yards.
Beathard has not made a start since he was with the 49ers three years ago. He’s compiled a 2-10 record in 12 career starts, all with San Francisco.
With the Jaguars tied with two other teams atop the AFC South at 8-7, this is a big-time game for Beathard to start. Jacksonville has lost four in a row since entering Week 13 at 8-3.
Two divisions have already been clinched, a third can be clinched tonight, and by the time Sunday afternoon’s games are completed, all eight division winners may have been crowned.
Yes, it’s possible that there won’t be a single division title on the line for the final week of the regular season.
The 49ers have already clinched the NFC West and the Lions have already clinched the NFC North. So those two divisions are sert.
The Ravens can clinch the AFC North tonight, if the Browns lose to the Jets.
The Dolphins would clinch the AFC East if they beat the Ravens on Sunday.
The Chiefs would clinch the AFC West if they beat the Bengals on Sunday.
The Jaguars would clinch the AFC South if they beat Panthers, the Texans lose to the Titans and the Colts lose to the Raiders on Sunday.
The Eagles would clinch the NFC East if the Cowboys lose to the Lions on Saturday and the Eagles beat the Cardinals on Sunday.
And the Buccaneers would clinch the NFC South if they beat the Saints on Sunday.
If that’s the way Week 17 plays out, Week 18 won’t have any division titles still alive. But it wouldn’t mean the top teams are resting their starters in the final game of the season. In the above scenario, the No. 1 seed would not be clinched in either conference (the Ravens and Dolphins would both be in contention in the AFC, while the 49ers, Lions and Eagles would all be in contention in the NFC). And multiple wild card spots would still be up for grabs. So Week 18 will still have plenty of intrigue, even if Week 17 is the end of all eight division races.
Jaguars head coach Doug Pederson said at a Thursday press conference that quarterback Trevor Lawrence was expected to be back at practice as a limited participant on Thursday, but something did not go as planned.
Lawrence is listed as a non-participant on the Jaguars injury report for the second straight day. He is dealing with an AC joint sprain in his right shoulder and Pederson said he would be limited to individual drills as the team continued to prepare for Sunday’s game against the Panthers.
Friday will bring another practice session, but the lack of progress since Lawrence left the Jaguars’ Week 16 loss to the Buccaneers would seem to increase the chances that he misses a game for the first time in his NFL career. C.J. Beathard will start if Lawrence does not get the green light.
Beathard (left shoulder) was listed as a full participant in practice. Cornerback Tyson Campbell (finger), safety Andre Cisco (groin), offensive lineman Ezra Cleveland (knee), wide receiver Zay Jones (knee, hamstring), offensive lineman Walker Little (hamstring), left tackle Cam Robinson (knee), and tight end Brenton Strange (foot) were listed as limited participants.
