Jaguars and Vikings set to embark upon the battle of 1st-round QBs no one expected

Quarterback Trevor Lawrence is dealing with a shoulder injury and is unlikely to play against the Minnesota Vikings in Week 10. If he doesn't suit up, Mac Jones will start for the Jacksonville Jaguars. Coincidentally, he'll face off against another first-round pick who wasn't successful with the team that drafted him.

Lawrence was limited in practice Wednesday and told the local media that he's doing what he can to play in Week 10. However, Ian Rapoport of NFL Media reports that the fourth-year quarterback is weighing his options and is unlikely to be available Sunday. If that's the case, Jones will get the starting nod and will face fellow quarterback Sam Darnold, who's enjoyed a career revival in Minnesota.

Playing under quarterback guru Kevin O'Donnell has certainly helped Sam Darnold, but Jaguars head coach Doug Pederson jokingly said that having All-Pro wide receiver Justin Jefferson in his arsenal is the reason. He then provided a more detailed explanation.

"I think the talent around him, that helps, right?" Pederson told the local media ahead of Week 10. "Having the run game, the defense, the way the defense has played, being in coach O'Donnell's system and the way he calls plays, I think it's helpful. He's always been a solid quarterback. Wherever team or role he's on, he's learning, maturing, and showing he's capable of doing it. That's what you've seen on film."

Expected to be the primary backup for the Vikes this season, Darnold was pressed into action when 2024 first-round pick J.J. McCarthy suffered a season-ending injury. Surprisingly, the former USC Trojan has thrived and has Minnesota on a path to make the playoffs.

A first-round pick by the New York Jets in 2018, Darnold flopped and was shown the door after just three seasons. He then spent time with the Carolina Panthers and the San Francisco 49ers before landing with the Vikings.

In eight starts this season, Darnold has completed 69.5 percent of his throws for 1,900 yards with 17 touchdowns and seven interceptions.

Jones, on the other hand, has only seen mop-up duty in 2024, logging 17 offensive snaps and completing six passes on nine attempts for 28 yards. However, he showed promise in three preseason games, completing 73.1 percent of his throws for 421 yards with three touchdowns.

Jaguars QB Mac Jones will tentatively face a rejuvenated Sam Darnold

Mac Jones struggled so badly the past two years that he was benched several times. That said, the New England Patriots mismanaged his development. After all, the former Alabama product made the Pro Bowl as a rookie but regressed when Josh McDaniels left and the Pats made the underqualified Matt Patricia their offensive coordinator. Nevertheless, the Pats decided that he wasn't the long-term answer at the position and traded him to the Jaguars in the offseason.

While there will be a dropoff from Lawrence to Jones, he showed in the preseason that he can keep the team afloat. Heading into Week 10, he told Mia O'Brien of 1010 XL that he's ready to go if he's thrust into action.

"Yeah, I think that's part of your job as an NFL quarterback," Jones told O'Brien. "And fortunately, we learned from a lot of different ways, and some of that's getting reps, some of that's just in the film room. And I've been fortunate to watch from the side for the past eight, nine games, so it's been good for me. "

Jones continued, "I've learned a lot. I've learned how the receivers move, how the offense line is blocking, our scheme, how Trevor is distributing the ball. So it's been a good learning experience for me, and I think it'll help me, you know, down the road... I'm always ready to go in. I've had a good experience with that, and that's my job. And I focus on that and preparing my mindset for that moment. And definitely, as a bag of quarterback, you never know when that's going to be."

"I always say you're not taking the first snap, but you can take every other snap, so you just got to be ready. And that's the mentality I always have."

All signs point toward Mac Jones playing for a matchup nobody would have predicted a year ago. Heck, if you had told somebody in 2023 that he and Sam Darnold would be starting for the Jaguars and Vikings, respectively, you would've most likely gotten a blank stare.

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