Trevor Lawrence injury update after scary late hit in Jaguars Week 13 loss

The Jacksonville Jaguars fell to the Houston Texans in Week 13, but the loss took a backseat to the injury Trevor Lawrence suffered when linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair laid a dirty hit on him that forced him to leave the game with a concussion. Following the divisional bout, head coach Doug Pederson offered an update on No. 16's status.

Pederson met with the local media after the 23-20 loss and said that Lawrence was moving when he saw him at halftime but hadn't had the chance to talk to the medical staff yet.

"Yeah, I haven't talked to the docs yet," Pederson said when asked to give an update on Lawrence's status after the game. "I didn't see him at halftime, he was moving around and everything, and we'll be fine. He'll obviously go into the protocol. But I haven't talked to him here at the game yet.

Later in his exchange with the press corps, Pederson said it's too premature to say whether the team will shut Lawrence down for the remainder of the season," It's 30 minutes after the game, so I haven't thought about that."

After his media availability session, Bucky Brooks caught up with him. Pederson says that Al-Shaair's hit was uncalled for and has no place in the NFL.

"It's a play that nobody wants to see in our league because you see what happens after the fact, and it just escalates," Pederson told Brooks. "I've got a lot of respect for Coach [DeMeco] Ryans and I know he doesn't coach his team that way. We don't coach our team that way. And it's unfortunate it really is. Glad Trevor is going to be fine. [He'll] be in the protocol this week, and see where he goes from there. But, yeah, just unfortunate."

It's too early to tell how much time Lawrence will miss, but he was seen leaving EverBank Stadium on his own power with his wife Melissa.

Mac Jones will start at QB for the Jaguars if Trevor Lawrence is unavailable

Once Trevor Lawrence left the game, Mac Jones took over at quarterback. All things considered, he did a good job, going 20-of-32 for 235 yards with two touchdowns. Ultimately, it wasn't enough, and the Jacksonville Jaguars came up short. Following the game, Doug Pederson had a bit of praise for the backup quarterback.

"Again, just trying to get again, getting Trevor in a comfortable situation, getting it back out there, trying to get some momentum on offense. And obviously, you know that happens, and it takes a little wind out of your sails. On the flip side of that, too, Mac came in and got us back in the football game. So proud of that," Pederson told the local media.

Jones will start at quarterback for as long as Lawrence is out. Based on how he performed, he should keep the offense afloat and finish the season strong, even if it no longer matters after being eliminated from playoff contention.

The bottom line is that it's currently uncertain how much time Trevor Lawrence will miss, and getting season-ending surgery on his non-throwing shoulder is probably the best course of action after the Jacksonville Jaguars were eliminated from playoff contention.

More Jaguars analysis here: