Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence will miss the first game of his career when his team takes on the Carolina Panthers on Sunday, but it reportedly could be a short-term absence.
According to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, Lawrence could return from his shoulder injury for Jacksonville’s regular-season finale against the Tennessee Titans.
The Jaguars could certainly use Lawrence back for their game against the Titans considering they’re in a three-way tie atop the AFC South with the Indianapolis Colts and Houston Texans. They have the tiebreaker and control their own destiny, and the Week 18 game against Tennessee is likely more difficult than Sunday’s against the 2-13 Panthers.
It will be C.J. Beathard under center for Jacksonville against Carolina.
He played in the most recent loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers after Lawrence exited and went 11-of-15 for 94 yards, one touchdown and one interception. He has started 12 games in his career with a 2-10 record, although his last start came back in 2020 when he was a member of the San Francisco 49ers.
As for Lawrence, he has dealt with multiple injuries this season, including a stint in concussion protocol and an ankle injury. However, he didn’t miss any games with the prior setbacks.
That will change on Sunday.
He has completed 65.5 percent of his passes for 3,736 yards, 19 touchdowns and 12 interceptions on the season. That means he will need to throw for at least 264 yards against the Titans to reach the 4,000-yard mark for the second consecutive season.
But it is probably Jacksonville’s playoff hopes that will be the bigger motivating factor for a quick return.
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