CJ Beathard next man up for Jaguars, says Trevor Lawrence is doing good, good spirit

When Trevor Lawrence suffered an ankle injury in the fourth quarter of the 24-21 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals, C.J. Beathard stepped in at quarterback. While he played relatively well, he couldn't ultimately lead the Jacksonville Jaguars to a win.

Beathard told the local media after the game that Lawrence is a good spirit despite the fact that he was using crutches and in a walking boot. He also said that it hurt him and his teammates to see Lawrence on the ground. However, he had to quickly regain his composure and focus on trying to either win or tie the game.

"The first instinct is it sucks for Trevor. You see him on the ground hurting, it sucks," Beathard said. "It takes the breath away on the sidelines of all the guys when you see your starting quarterback hurting like that. But then, you quickly flip into going into a two-minute drive to try and tie the game or win the game, so didn't have much time for the nerves to kick in. You just gotta go."

Beathard says that Trevor Lawrence praised him after the game, "Good job moving the ball," but didn't have any updates on the injury. He later described Lawrence as a good spirit, noting that it hurt to see his best friend on the team go down like that but he didn't really have time to feel bad.

"He's doing good, he's sore right now. I talked to him in the locker room and he was a good spirit. He was complimentary of me, proud of me, and stuff. Just feel bad any time when you're friends, all the guys, Christian [Kirk], Andre [Cisco], all these guys that are dinged up, because they put so much work and effort and practice and lifting and everything that goes into it. Anytime guys get hurt, whether it's for a play, whether it's for a play, whether it's a long period of time, you just feel bad for them," Beathard said.

Beathard came into the game with 2:28 left in the fourth quarter. He went 9-of-10 for 63 yards but wasn't able to help the Jags get on top. Head coach Doug Pederson met with the local media after the game and said that they are confident in Beathard if he has to start in Lawrence's place. Here's Beathard's full exchange with the media.

C.J. Beathard is ready to step up for the Jaguars if Trevor Lawrence misses time

Lawrence was diagnosed with an MRI sprain after the game. He'll undergo further tests Tuesday. If he has to sit out a handful of games, Beathard will be making his first start in Jacksonville. A third-round pick by the San Francisco 49ers, he signed a two-year deal with the Jags in 2021. When his contract expired in the offseason, he inked another two-year deal.

Back in the Bay Area, Beathard appeared in 19 games with 12 starts, completing 58.6 percent of his passes for 3,469 yards with 18 touchdowns and 13 interceptions. For the Jaguars, he had played a total of 53 total snaps and completed 12 of 17 passes for 82 yards before Week 13.

As of this writing, it's uncertain if Trevor Lawrence will miss any time, or how long he'll be unavailable if the injury is serious. Either way, C.J. Beathard proved against the Cincinnati Bengals that he can come off the bench if called upon.

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