Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence injured again, postseason in jeopardy
The Jacksonville Jaguars have lost four straight games and with quarterback Trevor Lawrence dealing with a shoulder injury, the Jaguars are on the verge of missing the playoffs.
Lawrence sprained the AC joint in his right shoulder. He is undergoing additional testing to determine the severity of the injury, which will determine his status for Week 17 and beyond.
The Jaguars (8-7) currently sit in first place in the AFC South. They are tied with the Houston Texans and Indianapolis Colts with two games remaining, but face off against those two division rivals in tiebreakers.
If the season ended today, the Jaguars would clinch the division title and secure the fourth seed in the AFC playoffs.
The Colts are ranked seventh and will qualify for the playoffs as an AFC wild-card team.
The Texans join the Pittsburgh Steelers (8-7) and Cincinnati Bengals (8-7) on the playoff bubble.
Tough guy Lawrence has to face another injury
Lawrence has never missed a start in three seasons in the NFL. The No. 1 overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft out of Clemson started all 17 games as a rookie and 17 games last season. In 2023, he started 15 games despite multiple injuries.
Lawrence sprained his left knee in Week 6 against the Colts. Lawrence started Thursday Night Football despite being listed as "questionable" on the Week 7 injury report. He led the Jaguars to a 31-24 victory over the New Orleans Saints. A sprained knee kept him out of several games, but he still played through the pain.
Lawrence suffered a severe ankle sprain in the overtime loss to the Bengals in Week 13. Similar injuries take four weeks to heal, but Lawrence was fit enough to play in the next game.
Lawrence suffered a head injury in a Week 17 loss to the Baltimore Ravens and left the game with a concussion. Backup quarterback C.J. Beathard came off the bench to finish the game.
Lawrence passed the concussion protocol in time for the Christmas Eve game against the Buccaneers. But he injured his shoulder in the third quarter. Bayard finished the game and the Jaguars lost 30-12.
It bothers me," Lawrence said Sunday. "Hopefully it's not a big deal, but yeah, it bothers me right now. "
Lawrence is tied with Patrick Mahomes for the second-longest streak among quarterbacks with 49 consecutive starts. The Buffalo Bills' Josh Allen has started 86 consecutive games, holding the record for the longest starting streak among NFL quarterbacks.
If Lawrence doesn't play Sunday against the Carolina Panthers, Beathard will get his first start since 2020.
AFC Southern District Three-person Tournament
DraftKings finds the Jaguars as the favorite to win the AFC South at -165 odds. The Colts are +350 to win the division and the Texans are +400 to win.
According to Upshot's playoff predictions, the Jaguars have a 60% chance of winning the division. The Colts have a 24% chance of winning the AFC South, while the Texans have a 15% chance.
The Jaguars have a 74% chance of making the playoffs. Even if they fail to win the division title, they can still clinch a playoff spot with a wild card.
The Jaguars host the Panthers on New Year's Eve in their final home game of the season. Despite Lawrence's injury, the Jaguars are -6.5 favorites. The Jaguars take on the Tennessee Titans in Nashville for their final game of the season. They beat the Titans 34-14 in Week 11.
The Colts will play two home games at Lucas Oil Stadium after the season. They will host the Las Vegas Raiders on Sunday and face the Texans in their final game of the season.
The Texans will face the Titans on Sunday before traveling to Indianapolis to face the Colts in Week 18.Rookie quarterback C.J. Stroud missed two games with a concussion and he still needs to clear the concussion protocol in Week 17. Backup Keenum started the Texans' final two games.
The Jaguars have a +1700 chance to win the AFC Championship and are the No. 6 team on DraftKings' NFL Futures board.
The Jaguars now have a +3500 chance to win Super Bowl 58, with their odds taking a dip during their recent losing streak. At the end of Week 12, the Jaguars' chances of winning the Super Bowl were just +1,200.
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Source: www.casino.org
