After suffering a high-ankle sprain on Monday, Trevor Lawrence will at least be sidelined for the first on-field work of the week.
Head coach Doug Pederson told reporters in his Wednesday press conference that Lawrence won’t practice on Wednesday, noting that it’s too soon after the injury for him to be on the field.
Lawrence went down in the fourth quarter of Monday night’s game. He’s still not ruled out for Sunday’s game against the Browns, but Pederson continued to say that the club won’t put Lawrence back on the field until he’s healthy.
Since being selected at No. 1 overall in the 2021 draft, Lawrence has not missed a start. This season, Lawrence has completed 68 percent of his throws for 3,004 yards with 14 touchdowns and seven interceptions. He’s also rushed for 248 yards with four TDs.
Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski declined to name a starting quarterback for Week 14 on Monday and he did so again on Wednesday while sharing news of Dorian Thompson-Robinson’s progress toward a return.
Thompson-Robinson missed last Sunday with a concussion, but he was not on the team’s pre-practice injury report Wednesday. That indicated a return to practice was in the cards and Stefanski said a short time that the rookie will be working with the team.
Stefanski also said that Thompson-Robinson remains in the concussion protocol, so it will be a limited session.
Joe Flacco started for the Browns in last Sunday’s loss to the Rams and Stefanski said the team will continue to see how things play out this week before making any decisions about Sunday’s home date with the Jaguars.
All things considered, it sounds like Trevor Lawrence’s injury could have been a lot worse.
Head coach Doug Pederson told reporters in his Tuesday press conference that Lawrence suffered a right high-ankle sprain during Monday night’s loss to the Bengals.
“Everything is stable,” Pederson said. “Everything looks good and we’ll see where he is in a couple of days.”
Lawrence suffered the ankle injury in the fourth quarter of Monday’s game and did not return. He was demonstratively in pain as he was helped off the field and into the X-Ray room.
Pederson did not rule out Lawrence for Sunday’s upcoming game against the Browns, but that also doesn’t mean the quarterback will play.
“I think to be honest, I want to make sure that Trevor’s 100 percent before I put him — or any player — back on the field,” Pederson said. “And it’s just a matter of their … tolerance that they can withstand with any injury. And you just don’t want to risk — if the player is not in any harm or [couldn’t] risk further damage to the area, then you have to consider it. But, definitely don’t want to risk further injury.”
Pederson also noted that given where the injury is for Lawrence in his ankle, surgery is not necessarily warranted at this time.
“The one last night looked worse than what it really was — very fortunate there. But he seems to have a little bit of a knack [for avoiding serious injury],” Pederson said. “I just think that for the most part, just been fortunate to not have a [more] serious injury that what they are.”
Lawrence has not missed a game due to injury since entering the league as the No. 1 overall pick in 2021. Through 12 games this season, he’s completed 68 percent of his passes for 3,004 yards with 14 touchdowns and seven interceptions. He’s also rushed for 248 yards with four TDs.
The Jaguars are waiting to see if quarterback Trevor Lawrence will be able to go this week after suffering a high-ankle sprain in Monday night’s overtime loss to the Bengals, but they are planning for any quarterback to be without one member of the receiving corps.
Wideout Christian Kirk left early in Monday’s game and head coach Doug Pederson told reporters on Tuesday that Kirk will miss some time with a core muscle injury that will likely require surgery. The Jaguars face the Browns in Week 14 and then face the Ravens, Buccaneers, Panthers, and Titans.
Kirk had one catch for 26 yards on Monday. He has 57 catches for 787 yards and three touchdowns for the season.
Parker Washington had six catches for 61 yards and a touchdown against Cincinnati after not catching a pass in his first three games, so it seems likely that he’ll continue to have a role in the offense with Kirk out of action.
Even without quarterback Trevor Lawrence, the Jaguars seemed to be on track to win Monday night’s game in overtime. A holding penalty, however, wiped out what would have been first and goal from the two on the opening drive of the extra session.
Quarterback C.J. Beathard had connected with receiver Calvin Ridley on a 43-yard pass. But rookie right tackle Anton Harrison drew a flag for holding Bengals defensive end Sam Hubbard.
Here’s the play. Technically, it’s holding. The problem, however, is that officials routinely look the other way in such moments. Do they not see the holding? Or do they exercise discretion to not call it, mindful of the fact that a little uncalled holding goes a long way toward keeping quarterbacks healthy?
It’s one of the ways the league and its officials boost offensive play. Whether it’s a quick trigger for roughing (or unnecessary roughness when the quarterback runs the ball), no trigger for intentional grounding, overlooked holding penalties, or tackles allowed to start a little bit early (a dynamic that has returned in recent weeks), it feels like someone sitting in one of the bigger offices at 345 Park Avenue has issued a mandate to apply the rules in a way that better protects quarterbacks and fuels offense.
If so, that mandate was ignored in overtime on Monday night. A holding penalty that routinely isn’t called was called. And the ensuing inconsistency gives the tin-foil hat crowd ample reason to further believe that games are rigged.
The truth is that they’re not. The truth also is that plenty of people believe it is. At some point, the perception becomes reality — and the reality could be that some fans will become sufficiently disenchanted with the product to find something else to do with their time and money.
