Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence suffered a high-ankle sprain on Monday Night Football in Week 13 against the Cincinnati Bengals. When the injury was announced, many viewed it as a foregone conclusion that Lawrence wouldn’t play in Week 14.
The Jaguars immediately started preparing as if Lawrence wouldn’t play on Sunday. Backup quarterback C.J. Beathard handled the first-team reps in practice and the team signed Nathan Rourke from its practice squad to the active roster.
- Trevor Lawrence stats 2023: 94.4 QB rating, 3004 passing yards, 14-7 TD-INT, 7.5 yards per attempt, 250.3 passing yards per game, 67.9 percent completion rate, 8-4 record
Related: NFL QB rankings
However, the NFL standings put Jacksonville in a difficult spot. After losing to the Bengals, the Jaguars hold just a one-game lead and the tiebreaker over the Houston Texans in the AFC South. Lawrence sitting on Sunday would jeopardize Jacksonville’s control of the division and a first-round home playoff game.
According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the Jaguars are “planning” to start Lawrence on Sunday against the Cleveland Browns. While there will be a pregame evaluation during warmups, the current expectation is Jacksonville’s franchise quarterback will draw the start.
Notably, per Schefter, Lawrence has never missed a game due to injury dating back to his high school days. He gives Jacksonville the best chance to win and while he’ll be limited, the organization believes he’s ready to play
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However, history isn’t on the Jagurs’ side. While high-ankle sprains are fairly rare for quarterbacks, there is one example of a signal-caller playing through the injury and it backfired on the team.
