The Jacksonville Jaguars will try to keep their playoff hopes alive when they face the Detroit Lions in Week 11. They're currently 2-8, and their season could come to an end if they lose. Compounding the issue is that they'll be without a handful of players.
In their final injury report for the game, the Jags ruled out running back Tank Bigsby, who's been dealing with an ankle injury. The following day, they announced that linebacker Yasir Abdullah was downgraded to out and wouldn't be making the trip to Motor City. However, their biggest absence against the Lions will be Trevor Lawrence.
Head coach Doug Pederson announced Wednesday that the fourth-year quarterback wouldn't be playing against the Lions, pointing out that he was making progress but not nearly enough to return to the field.
This will be the second straight game Lawrence has missed with an injury. While surgery hasn't been ruled out, the Jaguars will have their BYE in Week 12, so the extra time off could help him get back on the field.
For the time being, Mac Jones will make his second start in a row. He went 14-of-22 for 115 yards with no touchdowns and two interceptions in the loss to the Minnesota Vikings.
Here's the timeline of Trevor Lawrence's latest shoulder injury
Lawrence suffered a shoulder injury in the Week 9 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles. Ian Rapoport broke the news a few days later that the former Clemson Tiger was unlikely to play against the Lions and was weighing his options.
This led to speculation about Lawrence potentially getting surgery on his shoulder, which would potentially end his season. Rapoport was quick to shut down the chatter, noting that no procedure had been scheduled yet before the Minnesota game. For his part, Doug Pederson said that the medical staff would make such a decision but wasn't a possibility at the moment.
Heading into Week 11, Dianna Russini of The Athletic reported that Lawrence's injury was a sprain and he would at least sit out one game. Since then, talk about him getting surgery has decreased considerably but hasn't been ruled out.
This is the second season Lawrence has been dealing with injuries. He dealt with shoulder, knee, and ankle injuries last year but managed to play through all of them. On the other hand, his performance was noticeably hampered. It wasn't until he suffered a concussion that he sat out the game against the Carolina Panthers in Week 17.
But despite taking a step back in 2023, Lawrence got a five-year deal worth $275 million in the offseason because the team's brass was confident he was going to bounce back. So far, it hasn't been the case.
For the season, Lawrence has completed 61.3 percent of his throws — the second-lowest mark of his career — for 2,004 yards with 11 touchdowns and six interceptions. Then again, the whole team has struggled, so it would be unfair to pin the 2-8 record solely on their starting quarterback.
Either way, it's a given that he'll sit out the game against the Lions. He could come back after the BYE, but it may no longer matter.