JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – If the Jaguars are going to pull an upset of a Super Bowl favorite this week, it will be without quarterback Trevor Lawrence.
Is Lawrence on track to play after that? Head coach Doug Pederson said Wednesday morning that the Jaguars were optimistic that the franchise signal caller could get the green light to play in Week 13.
Recommended Videos
A bigger question, will Pederson still be leading the team after the bye week, or will owner Shad Khan consider a change following one of the most disappointing seasons in his tenure. Lawrence missed last Sunday’s game against the Vikings with an injury to his nonthrowing shoulder and will sit out this week’s game at Detroit (8-1). The team has a bye week following the Lions game.
The Jaguars are just 3-13 since they started 8-3 last year and briefly held the No. 1 seed in the AFC.
Pederson said that Lawrence was just not quite ready to be put back into service this week. Jacksonville native Mac Jones will make his second start in place of Lawrence and hope that he’s knocked the rust off after a difficult game against Minnesota.
“Trevor will be out. We just decided this week. He’s getting close, but to make sure, again, you guys know how I am with injuries, we don’t want to put a player out there who’s not 100 percent, so we’re going to rest him for one more week.”
When asked if Lawrence could return after the team’s bye week, Pederson was hopeful but not certain.
“Still a question mark, but I’m optimistic, yeah,” he said.
The Jaguars (2-8) are mired in a miserable season. They have only the slimmest of chances of reaching the playoffs, 2% according to ESPN. If the season ended today, Jacksonville would hold the No. 1 pick in the draft for the third time in five seasons. They took Lawrence and Travon Walker with those previous top selections. They gave Lawrence a massive extension in the offseason, a $275 million deal that made him one of the highest-paid players in NFL history. He played well in spurts this year before suffering a shoulder injury on a scramble against Philadelphia, but Lawrence still had far too many lulls.
Walker had 10 sacks last year and leads Jacksonville with 7.5 sacks this season and also returned a fumble for a touchdown in Week 9 against the Eagles. He’s become the team’s best pass rusher.
Jacksonville has shown flashes this season but they look far too much like they team that posted a 1-5 finish in 2023. Pederson fired defensive coordinator Mike Caldwell and most of the defensive staff as a result, but that side of the ball has been worse this season than under Caldwell. The offense, Pederson’s specialty, is one of the league’s worst. Even with Lawrence, Jacksonville has looked fragmented and broken most of the season. Outside of rookie receiver Brian Thomas Jr., the pass catchers have struggled. Christian Kirk is out for the season with a broken collarbone and national reports said that he likely would have been traded at the deadline had he not been injured.
Tank Bigsby, who didn’t practice on Wednesday due to an ankle injury, has looked like a potential No. 1 back when he’s been in the lineup. But his backfield partner, Travis Etienne, has been limited with various injuries. At best now, Jacksonville’s beaten up offense is operating at a far lower level than it has been in quite some time. Jones was a first-round pick in the same draft as Lawrence, but he looked rough in his Jaguars starting debut. Pederson said that he expects Jones will be better this week against Detroit and the team still has confidence in him.
“It’s high. He’s excited to have another opportunity. Obviously, another chance for him to rebound from last week, but I think as a team, same way,” he said of Jones. “Rally around him and support him and get ready to play a really good football team.”
Jacksonville started Jones against the Vikings, who struggled mightily in the 12-7 loss. Jones had a rushing touchdown in the first quarter but stalled after that.
He threw two interceptions and lost a fumble all in the final seven minutes of the game as the Jaguars wasted three interceptions of Sam Darnold in the loss. Jacksonville managed just 143 yards, the fifth-worst total in the franchise’s 30-year history. Jones was 14 of 22 passing for 111 yards and was sacked three times.
“Obviously, there are a lot of things to work on throughout the game but it boils down to finishing better by me,” Jones said. “I thought I left three plays out there and if you change those three plays then maybe the outcome’s a little different.”