What’s the latest on Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence’s injury?

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The Jacksonville Jaguars’ season took another turn for the worse on Sunday when Trevor Lawrence suffered a concussion on a tackle by Houston Texans linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair – what the quarterback’s teammates called a “dirty hit.” .

Lawrence returned to action Sunday after missing two games with a left shoulder injury. The concussion has led to questions about whether the Jaguars should rule out Lawrence for the remainder of the season rather than risk another injury to their franchise quarterback — who signed a five-year, $275 million contract in the offseason.

The Jaguars are now 2-10 and officially eliminated from contention for the AFC South with Sunday’s 23-20 loss to the Texans. Another loss would eliminate them from the playoffs entirely.

Lawrence’s concussion is the latest setback in a disappointing 2024. The season began with playoff expectations after owner Shad Khan said this was the best Jaguars team ever assembled. But nothing went according to plan.

The team has been plagued by injuries, the offense has waned and they started Sunday with the worst defense in the league. Coach Doug Pederson and general manager Trent Baalke also face uncertain futures.

Here’s a first look at Lawrence’s status:

What do we know about Lawrence’s injury?

Al-Shair hit Lawrence in the head after the quarterback slipped at the end of a 6-yard scramble late in the first half. Jaguars tight end Evan Engram returned the favor against Al-Shaair, and that sparked the first of two fights between the teams. When the melee was over, officials ejected Al-Shaair for an illegal strike to the quarterback’s head and neck area and assessed Engram a personal foul penalty.

The fight occurred a few feet away from Lawrence, who was lying on his back with his arms appearing to be in a fencing stance – an involuntary position that occurs after a brain injury. An official knelt to protect Lawrence as the skirmish moved toward the Jaguars’ sideline. Lawrence was on the field for several minutes before he was finally taken away on a cart – he rode in a seated position at the front. The team then ruled him out for the remainder of the game due to a concussion.

Aside from confirming that Lawrence is in the concussion protocol, Pederson didn’t have much information immediately after the game, saying he hadn’t spoken to team doctors yet. But he said he spoke to Lawrence at halftime and that “Trevor will be OK.”

Lawrence was seen leaving the locker room with his wife Marissa after the game. He posted on the social media platform “X” on Sunday evening that he was “at home and feeling better.”

He has to work through the protocol and that can take days or weeks. Pederson said earlier this season that he learned during Lawrence’s injury layoff last season (ankle, knee, shoulder and a concussion) that he needed practice to feel comfortable playing, so it’s logical to assume that Lawrence only returns to practice towards the end of this week, his chances of playing against Tennessee on Sunday are not good.

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The fight breaks out after a late hit knocks Trevor Lawrence out of the game

Tensions run high when the Texans’ Azeez Al-Shaair is sent off after a late goal against a slipping Trevor Lawrence, who has to be carted off after the play.

Could the team rule out Lawrence for the season?

Pederson said after the game it was too early to think about it, but it would definitely make sense. Lawrence sprained his left AC joint in Week 9 against the Eagles and had missed the team’s last two games. He is not fully healthy and said earlier this week that he would not rule out surgery on his shoulder before the end of the season.

The Jaguars lost two starting receivers (Christian Kirk and Gabe Davis) and the season is essentially over, so they may not want to further jeopardize his health.

Is this Lawrence’s first concussion?

It is his second diagnosed concussion with the Jaguars and the third known diagnosed concussion dating back to his three-year career at Clemson.

Lawrence suffered a concussion in the Jaguars’ Week 15 loss to Baltimore last December, but started the Jaguars’ next game against Tampa Bay. Lawrence also suffered a concussion against Syracuse during his first season at Clemson (2018), but started the following week against Wake Forest.

Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa suffered a concussion earlier this season that left him displaying the fencing stance. He spent five weeks on injured reserve while the team allowed him to slowly return. Tagovailoa had suffered three concussions in the past. Depending on the severity of Lawrence’s concussion, the Jaguars could opt to take a similar route and rest him for the rest of the season.

Will Mac Jones continue to be the backup if Lawrence is out long-term?

Yes. The Jaguars really don’t have much of a choice. The team re-signed CJ Beathard as additional QB depth on November 6, three days after Lawrence injured his non-throwing shoulder against Philadelphia, and he was Jones’ backup against Minnesota and Detroit.

Beathard, who had been Lawrence’s backup from 2021 to 2023, was the emergency quarterback on Sunday and could have played against the Texans if Jones had been injured. Jones struggled in his two starts while Lawrence sat out. He threw for a total of 249 yards and no touchdowns with three interceptions and led the Jaguars to a total of 13 losses to Minnesota and Detroit.

Jones had his best game of the season against the Texans, throwing for 235 yards and two touchdowns after Lawrence left.