JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Trevor Lawrence will miss the first game of his NFL career with a shoulder injury, the latest in a difficult December for the spiraling Jaguars.
Lawrence had been limited in practice with an injury to his right AC joint. The team officially ruled Lawrence out on its Friday afternoon injury report, meaning backup C.J. Beathard will try and lead Jacksonville (8-7) past Carolina (2-13) on Sunday at EverBank Stadium.
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Lawrence suffered the injury diving for a first down in a Week 16 blowout loss to the Buccaneers, the latest in a challenging season for the third-year quarterback.
Beathard will make his first start since he was with San Francisco on Jan. 3, 2021. Backing up Beathard will be either E.J. Perry or Matt Barkley. Perry signed with the team’s practice squad on Dec. 19 as it waited out Lawrence’s availability in the concussion protocol.
Lawrence has been exceptionally durable during his NFL career, starting all 49 games. He hadn’t missed a start due to injury in his high school or college career. Lawrence missed two games at Clemson due to the COVID-19 protocol.
Jacksonville has been in freefall this month, plummeting from the potential No. 1 seed in the AFC to holding a razor-thin lead in the AFC South. Houston and Indianapolis are both 8-7 and tied with the Jaguars for the top spot in the division, but Jacksonville holds the tiebreaker.
Lawrence has endured an up-and-down season with the Jaguars. Injuries have decimated the team and the replacement players have been a downgrade at every spot. The offensive line is the worst in Lawrence’s NFL tenure and he’s been banged up as a result of that.