The only thing weighing on people’s minds in the Jacksonville area Tuesday morning is the status of Trevor Lawrence's right ankle. The Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback left Monday night's loss late in the fourth quarter after getting stepped on by a teammate, giving veteran CJ Beathard the keys to the Jags offense for at least the rest of the night.
Beathard and Lawrence both joined the Jaguars in 2021 and have a close relationship. The veteran backup said it was hard watching the budding star exit with an injury.
“Trevor's my best friend on the team, and when you see him go down like that, [it's tough],” Beathard said, via Michael DiRocco. “I've been here three years and he's battled through all types of injuries, little things here and there, and to see him have to get carried off the field, it hurts.”
Next man up for the Jags?
The initial diagnosis shows a sprained ankle, but Lawrence is set for an MRI on Tuesday morning that will determine the true severity of it. If he's forced to miss any amount of time, Beathard would assume the starting quarterback duties. The Jaguars, or at least head coach Doug Pederson, have faith in Beathard.
There is an obvious talent gap between Lawrence, the former No. 1 overall pick, and Beathard, a third-round selection in 2017 who hasn’t started an NFL game since 2020. We've seen backups take the league by storm in the unlikeliest of scenarios before and there is enough talent on the Jaguars roster for Beathard to keep them afloat.
The margin for error is slim in the race for the AFC South though and gets even slimmer if Lawrence misses games. With Monday night's loss, the Jaguars are 8-4 and are no longer a lock to win the division as the Houston Texans and Indianapolis Colts are both suddenly 7-5 and a game behind.
Regardless if Trevor Lawrence sees the field again this season, there are still football games to be played. The Jaguars have to rally one way or another and find a path to victory, perhaps with CJ Beathard under center.
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