The Jacksonville Jaguars lost a hard-fought game to the Cincinnati Bengals on Monday Night Football to close out Week 13. They fell just short, losing 34-31 in overtime, and it is fair to wonder if things would have turned out differently had starting quarterback Trevor Lawrence not gotten hurt.
Lawrence was hurt on third down on the Jaguars’ second-to-last drive of the game. He was stepped on by his offensive tackle Walker Little and then bent in half by edge rusher Trey Hendrickson, losing yardage on the play.
On fourth down, Brandon McManus missed a 48-yard kick which would have given the Jaguars a 31-28 lead. To make matters worse, Lawrence was unable to get off the field under his own power, needing assistance to get to the sideline and through the tunnel into the locker room.
The air was taken out of the stadium watching their franchise quarterback hobble off the field and be announced out for the remainder of the game. It certainly looked bad when the injury occurred, as people feared for the worst.
NFL News & Rumors: Trevor Lawrence & Jacksonville Jaguars Updates
Luckily for Lawrence and the Jaguars, he was diagnosed with a high ankle sprain and no other damage. Head coach Doug Pederson said that Lawrence would be evaluated later on in the week, as he was yet to rule him out for Sunday’s game against the Cleveland Browns.
“I’m not going to put that timetable on Trevor,” Pederson said Tuesday afternoon. “I’m not going to put him in a box like that, but we’ll see how he is in a couple of days.”
That is smart to not put a timetable on things, as everyone recovers at different rates. However, there was an encouraging development on Wednesday when Lawrence met with reporters for the first time; he had shed the walking boot he was previously wearing. Michael DiRocco of ESPN shared the update on X, formerly known as Twitter.
No longer being in the walking boot is a great sign when it comes to Lawrence’s health. While it is still far from certain that he will be suiting up on Sunday against the Browns, this at least improves his chances of being out there.
People will be keeping close tabs on his practice reps this week if he even takes any. Lawrence has yet to miss a start in his NFL career, as he has been on the field as the starter for all 46 games he has been in the league for.
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