Jaguars’ Lawrence suffers high ankle sprain in OT loss to Bengals

Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence suffered a high ankle sprain late in the fourth quarter of Monday’s 34-31 overtime loss to the Cincinnati Bengals, head coach Doug Pederson announced Tuesday, according to NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo.

Pederson added that the quarterback’s ankle is stable and didn’t rule out Lawrence playing Sunday against the Cleveland Browns, per NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero.

However, the Jaguars will be without wide receiver Christian Kirk versus the Browns after he suffered a core muscle injury Monday, Pederson added.

Lawrence sustained the ailment on a third-and-11 play when his ankle was stepped on with the game tied 28-28. The former No. 1 pick slammed his helmet on the field after he was unable to walk off the field on his own. He was then helped to the locker room and went into Jacksonville’s X-ray room.

C.J. Beathard entered the game at quarterback for the Jaguars. The veteran passer, who led a late drive to set up Jacksonville’s game-tying field goal with 40 seconds left in the contest, went 9-for-10 with 63 yards in his relief appearance.

Jacksonville didn’t have a third quarterback as an emergency option in Week 13. Nathan Rourke, who put on a show during the preseason, is currently on the Jaguars’ practice squad and could be activated.

Lawrence completed 22 of 29 pass attempts for 258 yards and two touchdowns before exiting the matchup. The Clemson product has never missed a game due to injury in his entire NFL career. He was drafted in 2021 as one of the most highly touted draft prospects ever.

After a rough rookie campaign, Lawrence set career highs with a 66.3% completion rate, 4,113 yards, and 25 touchdown passes last season. He also led Jacksonville to the team’s first postseason appearance since 2017.

Quarterback injuries have been a big issue around the NFL this season. The Bengals recently lost Joe Burrow to a season-ending wrist injury and started Jake Browning in Week 13 against the Jaguars. Three current AFC playoff teams are likely to start a backup quarterback in Week 14:

TEAM (SEED #)
STARTER
WEEK 14 QB

Dolphins (1)
Tua Tagovailoa
Tagovailoa

Ravens (2)
Lamar Jackson
Jackson

Chiefs (3)
Patrick Mahomes
Mahomes

Jaguars (4)
Trevor Lawrence
?

Steelers (5)
Kenny Pickett
Mitch Trubisky

Browns (6)
Deshaun Watson
Joe Flacco*

Colts (7)
Anthony Richardson
Gardner Minshew

*= Expected move

Other quarterbacks who have suffered season-ending injuries this season include Aaron Rodgers, Kirk Cousins, and Daniel Jones.

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