After falling to Cincinnati on Monday Night Football, the Jaguars may be without one of their most important players when they visit the Browns next Sunday
The Browns are no strangers to quarterback injuries. After losing franchise QB Deshaun Watson for the season several weeks back, Cleveland started its fourth different signal caller over the weekend as veteran Joe Flacco captained the offense in a 36-19 loss to the Rams.
As they turn the page toward a Week 14, their opponent is facing similar quarterback uncertainty.
Jacksonville Jaguars star QB, Trevor Lawrence suffered what looked like a potential season-altering ankle injury in the fourth quarter of an eventual 34-31, loss to the Cincinnati Bengals on Monday night. On the play, Lawrence had his ankle stepped on by starting left tackle Walker Little who was bull rushed backwards into Lawrence’s space by Bengals pass-rusher Trey Hendrickson.
Initially, Lawrence attempted to get up and make his way off the field but quickly realized he couldn’t put any weight on the ankle and fell back to the turf, pounding the ground with his fist and tossing his helmet. There were equal signs of devastation on the faces of his teammates.
According to NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero, fears that the injury may be season-ending were pre-mature as an initial diagnosis of the ailment determined it may just be an ankle sprain. That would be a positive development for the 8-4 Jags, who are in the midst of a hotly contested AFC South race.
Jacksonville head coach Doug Pederson couldn’t provide any clarity on the injury moments after the game, but noted that Lawrence will undergo more testing overnight and on Tuesday to determine its severity.
If the initial reports prove to be true then the Jaguars will have dodged a major bullet in a season that has already seen six franchises lose their starting quarterback to a season-ending injury – barring an unheard of return by Aaron Rodgers to the Jets after rupturing his Achilles in Week 1.
Even if Lawrence is due back this season, his status in a short week for a critical matchup with the Browns remains very much in doubt. Along with Lawrence, his top wideout in terms of receptions and yards, Christian Kirk also left Monday’s game with a groin injury and never returned.
Both situations will be something to monitor ahead of their trip to Cleveland this weekend.
