The worst case scenario may have unfolded for the Jacksonville Jaguars Monday night. The 8-3 AFC South leaders were a win over the Cincinnati Bengals away from sliding into the conference’s top seed and controlling their own destiny on the road to a potential first round bye. Then franchise quarterback Trevor Lawrence dropped back to pass on third down, had his left ankle stepped on by left tackle Walker Little and was bent backward awkwardly over his right leg by Bengals pass rusher Trey Hendrickson.
Lawrence attempted to peel himself from the turf before ripping off his helmet and slapping the turf in frustration. He was helped to the locker room for further evaluation, declared questionable to return thanks to an ankle injury and replaced by C.J. Beathard in the starting lineup.
Fortunately, the injury may be only a serious sprain for the franchise quarterback.
The initial diagnosis for #Jaguars QB Trevor Lawrence is an ankle sprain, per sources. He'll have an MRI on Tuesday.
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) December 5, 2023
Losing Lawrence for any extended stretch at this point of the season would be absolutely brutal for one of the NFL’s least lucky franchises. Jacksonville is locked in a three-way battle for the South thanks to better-than-expected seasons from the Houston Texans and Indianapolis Colts. Fortunately they’ve got some useful, if unexciting, options to turn to if Lawrence is forced out of action for an extended stretch.
Let’s start with the guy who replaced the former No. 1 overall pick in Week 13