The Jacksonville Jaguars have hit a major fork in the road for their 2023 season and face the harsh reality of playing their Week 17 game without starting quarterback Trevor Lawrence.
Lawrence did not participate in Jacksonville's first practice of the week on Wednesday as he continues to nurse a sprained shoulder, per Adam Schefter. Lawrence said that he is feeling better but is unsure if he'll be able to throw on Thursday.
The last few weeks have been a battle for Lawrence and the Jaguars. In the span of four weeks, Lawrence suffered ankle and shoulder injuries along with a concussion and Jacksonville saw its lead in the AFC South slip to nothing after four consecutive losses.
Now at 8-7, the Jaguars are in a three-way tie for first place in the division with the Houston Texans and Indianapolis Colts. Having to play without Trevor Lawrence in either of these last two games may prove detrimental to Jacksonville's playoff hopes.
Lawrence is about as tough as they come and has yet to miss a game during his three-year NFL career. It's going to take a lot for him to miss Sunday's game, even if he appears to be a longshot at the moment.
A lot of people thought he'd miss time after spraining his ankle in Week 13 but he did not and he was able to clear concussion protocol within a week to keep his starting streak alive in Week 16.
Jaguars roller-coaster season
After starting the season 1-2 the Jags won seven of their next eight games and looked like a firm contender in the AFC. Four weeks later they are far from a guarantee to make the playoffs and might not be favored to win a game even if they did.
Lawrence was an MVP candidate in September but too much inconsistent play took him out of the race fairly quickly. Even when the Jaguars were winning games, Lawrence wasn’t putting up otherworldly numbers. That raised concern for a lot of fans, though his injuries are much more of a worry.
Despite his drop in play in 2023, Trevor Lawrence is still better than most quarterbacks in the NFL and is by far Jackonville's best option. He's shown the ability to quickly put things behind him, though he does tend to unravel at times.
The Jaguars face a hard decision as Sunday's kickoff approaches. Lawrence would definitely push himself to play but do the Jags want to risk not having him for the playoffs? On the other hand, they need to win these games to make the postseason in the first place so playing Lawrence at less than 100 percent for that reason would be justified.
It is incredible what the human body can do and Lawrence could feel a lot better by the weekend. Even if he's unable to practice Thursday or Friday it would be shocking to see the Jaguars rule their QB out before Sunday.
Trevor Lawrence's Week 17 game status may come down to the wire so Jags fans will likely have to wait with bated breath to hear the fate of their franchise quarterback.
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