Jacksonville Jaguars Quarterback Trevor Lawrence Suffers Shoulder Injury

In the shadow of a massive inter-conference clash between the Miami Dolphins and Dallas Cowboys, an injury to a star occurred that could shake up the AFC. Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence exited in the third quarter of Sunday's 30-12 blowout loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers due to a shoulder injury and did not return.

Jaguars HC Doug Pederson said QB Trevor Lawrence will have his right shoulder evaluated Monday. Lawrence said he hurt it on the fourth-down scramble when he got hit on sideline and landed on shoulder "When I landed, I knew something, something was off."
— Michael DiRocco (@ESPNdirocco) December 25, 2023

It's been a rough few weeks for Lawrence. The first-overall pick of the 2021 NFL Draft was considered questionable all week following a concussion suffered in Week 15's 23-7 loss to the Baltimore Ravens, a game in which he entered hobbled by a high-ankle sprain suffered in a Week 13 34-31 overtime loss to the Cincinnati Bengals. Over four consecutive losses, Lawrence has thrown five interceptions and fumbled five times.

Lawrence will undergo further evaluation on Monday. Veteran backup C.J. Beathard replaced him in the lineup today, completing 11 of 15 passes for 94 yards and a touchdown. Beathard has been adequate in relief all season, completing 23 of 29 passes for 171 yards. He has yet to throw an interception or lose a fumble this year.

Thankfully for the Jaguars, the rest of the schedule today broke their way. At 8-7, they remain at the top of the AFC South thanks to losses by the Houston Texans (8-7) and Indianapolis Colts (8-7). With games still to come against the 2-13 Carolina Panthers and 5-10 Tennessee Titans, the Jaguars should still be favorites to win the division, even should Lawrence be unavailable.

Whether or not the Jaguars can make any noise this postseason is a whole other question. Lawrence has taken a significant step back following a Pro Bowl appearance in 2022; his interception rate is up from 1.4% to 2.3%, his net yards per passing attempt are down from 6.43 to 6.31, and he has matched his 12 total fumbles from last year in two fewer games. Unless Lawrence or the talent around him can drastically improve, the Jaguars aren't going anywhere anytime soon.