Lawrence returned to action Sunday after missing two games due to a left shoulder injury. The concussion has raised questions about whether the Jaguars should shut down Lawrence for the rest of the season rather than risk further injuries to their franchise quarterback, who signed a five-year, $275 million contract in the offseason.
The Jaguars are now 2-10 and were officially eliminated from contention in the AFC South with the 23-20 loss to the Texans. Another loss would eliminate them from playoff contention.
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 has gone as planned.
The team has been plagued by injuries, the offense has regressed and the Jaguars entered Sunday with the worst defense in the league. Coach Doug Pederson and general manager Trent Baalke also face an uncertain future.
Here’s an initial look at Lawrence’s status:
What do we know about Lawrence’s injury?
Al-Shaair hit Lawrence in the head after the quarterback slipped at the end of a 6-yard run late in the first half, and Lawrence’s helmet hit the turf hard as he was thrown backwards. Jaguars tight end Evan Engram retaliated against Al-Shaair and that sparked the first of two fights between the teams. By the time the scrum was cleared, the officials ejected Al-Shaair for an illegal hit to the quarterback’s head and neck area and assessed Engram with a personal foul.
The fight occurred a few feet from Lawrence, who was face up with his arms in what appeared to be the fencing stance, an involuntary position that occurs after a brain injury. Lawrence was on the field for several minutes being attended to by medical staff before he was finally wheeled out on a cart; He traveled to the front sitting. The team then ruled him out for the rest of the game due to a concussion.
Other than confirming that Lawrence is in the concussion protocol, Pederson didn’t have much information immediately after the game because he said he hadn’t spoken to team doctors yet. But he did say he spoke to Lawrence at halftime and that “Trevor is going to be fine.”
Lawrence was seen leaving the locker room after the game with his wife, Marissa. He posted on X on Sunday night saying he was “home and feeling better.”
You will have to advance the protocol and that is something that could take days or weeks. Pederson said earlier this season that he learned during Lawrence’s run of injuries last season (ankle, knee, shoulder and a concussion) that Lawrence needs practice to feel comfortable playing, so it’s logical to assume that if Lawrence doesn’t return to practice late into the week, their chances of playing against Tennessee on Sunday are not good.
Fight breaks out after late hit knocks Trevor Lawrence out of game
Tensions boil over when the Texans’ Azeez Al-Shaair is ejected for a late hit on a sliding Trevor Lawrence, who has to be removed after the play.
Could the team shut down Lawrence for the rest of the season?
Pederson said after the game that it was too early to think about that, but it would certainly make sense. Lawrence sprained his left AC joint against the Eagles in Week 9 and had missed the team’s last two games. He’s not completely healthy and said earlier this week that he wouldn’t rule out shoulder surgery before the season ended.
The Jaguars are missing two starting receivers (Christian Kirk and Gabe Davis) and the season is essentially over, so they may not want to risk their health anymore.
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 in which he showed off the fencing stance. He spent five weeks on injured reserve. Tagovailoa had a history of three previous concussions. Depending on the severity of Lawrence’s concussion, the Jaguars could opt to follow a similar path by resting him for the remainder of the season.
Will Mac Jones still be the backup if Lawrence is out long-term?
Yes. The Jaguars really don’t have many options. The team re-signed CJ Beathard on November 6, three days after Lawrence injured his non-throwing shoulder against Philadelphia, as an extra quarterback, and he was Jones’ backup against Minnesota and Detroit.
Beathard, who had been Lawrence’s backup from 2021-2023, was the emergency quarterback on Sunday and was eligible to play against the Texans if Jones had been injured. Jones had struggled in his two starts while Lawrence was out, throwing for a combined 249 yards and no touchdowns with three interceptions and leading the Jaguars to a combined 13 points in 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.
