Trevor Lawrence suffered a shoulder injury two weeks ago against the Philadelphia Eagles. Although he got in three limited practices ahead of Week 10, he did not play. What is the latest update on Lawrence’s injury? Will the Jacksonville Jaguars QB play again this season?
What Is Trevor Lawrence’s Injury?
Lawrence is dealing with a sprained AC joint in his left shoulder. AC joint injuries are relatively common in the NFL and often happen when a player falls the wrong way on their shoulder.
Typically, players don’t need much time with a sprained AC joint. For example, CeeDee Lamb didn’t miss a game, playing through the injury.
For a quarterback, a shoulder injury is much harder to play through. However, since this is to Lawrence’s left shoulder, it’s less of a concern. Even so, his sprain is considered to be far more significant than normal, and as a result, he wasn’t able to play through it.
When Will Lawrence Return From Injury?
Because the injury was to his left shoulder, Lawrence was able to practice, yet he did not play in Week 10. It remains to be seen if he’ll be able to practice this week, but regardless, Lawrence won’t play against the Detroit Lions, having already been ruled out.
#Jaguars QB Trevor Lawrence (shoulder) is out again this week, per coach Doug Pederson. Mac Jones starts again at Detroit.
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) November 13, 2024
Initially, there were reports that Lawrence could be shut down for the season. It’s still too soon to rule that out as a possibility, but the latest news suggests there’s a good chance Lawrence will return following the Jaguars’ Week 12 bye.
Jaguars HC Doug Pederson says QB Trevor Lawrence (shoulder) will be out this week. Optimistic that he can play after the bye week.
— Michael DiRocco (@ESPNdirocco) November 13, 2024
Despite head coach Doug Pederson’s comments, we shouldn’t be overly confident in Lawrence’s return. The Jaguars are 2-8. Let’s call it like we see it for Week 11 — they are not beating the Lions. Their season is over, and the playoffs are out of reach.
It’s entirely possible that after another loss and two more weeks to mull it over, Jacksonville elects not to bring Lawrence back for six meaningless games to close out the season.
A secondary concern is there could be another major change coming during the Jaguars’ bye week, with a very solid chance of Pederson being fired. That throws another variable into the equation that we cannot really account for.
How Will Lawrence’s Absence Impact the Jaguars?
Lawrence is one of the weaker starting NFL quarterbacks. Yet, his absence highlights just how vast the gap is between starting QBs and backups. Even a low-end NFL starter like Lawrence is still miles better than the alternative.
Mac Jones started in Week 10 and faced one of the worst pass defenses in the NFL. He threw for 111 scoreless yards and two interceptions while taking five sacks. Rookie wide receiver Brian Thomas Jr. caught just two passes for 12 yards.
The NFL is a strange place. At this point, nothing would shock me. Could Jones go out there and light up Detroit for 300 yards and three touchdowns? Sure. But the most likely scenario is the Lions score as many points as they want, leading by so much that they dig into their bag of tricks for some fun plays like they did against the Dallas Cowboys.
I’m not even sure if the Jaguars will be able to score a touchdown.