Bucs will avoid facing Jaguars starting wideout in Week 16

The Jacksonville Jaguars will be a bit shorthanded against the Bucs in Week 16.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers will face the Jacksonville Jaguars on Christmas Eve with one less offensive weapon to worry about.

ESPN’s Adam Schefter announced on Friday that the Jaguars have placed wide receiver Christian Kirk on Injured Reserve after he unfortunately injured his core against the Cincinnati Bengals on Monday Night Football. That will see Kirk out for a minimum of four weeks, which will overlap with Tampa Bay’s matchup against Jacksonville in Week 16.

Kirk has amassed 787 yards on 57 catches for an average of 13.8 yards per reception, but he hasn’t found the end zone much — he’s only grabbed three touchdowns this year. Regardless, he’s been a big part of Jacksonville’s offense, appearing on 70.65% of the team’s offensive snaps. As such, the team will have to turn to other weapons in compliment of WRs like Calvin Ridley, which could affect their Week 16 matchup against the Buccaneers.

There will also be the matter of quarterback Trevor Lawrence, who suffered a high-ankle sprain against the Bengals. Lawrence is already on the mend and was a limited participant in practice this week, but just how healthy that ankle will be in Week 16 remains to be seen.

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