The Jacksonville Jaguars have been rolling with three straight wins, but their latest against the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday came at a price with quarterback Trevor Lawrence on the injury report Monday.
Lawrence is dealing with a knee sprain he suffered in the game, and while it isn’t expected that he will be missing weeks to recover, he has just four days before the Jaguars take the field again for "Thursday Night Football."
So, Lawrence’s status against the New Orleans Saints is up in the air on the short turnaround, per ESPN.
Lawrence’s current backup is C.J. Beathard, who has 12 career starts. His latest came in 2020 with the San Francisco 49ers in Week 17, when he went 25-for-37 through the air for 273 yards with one touchdown against the Seattle Seahawks.
Beathard was 2-10 in his 12 starts with the Niners.
Through his three seasons in the NFL, Lawrence, the first overall pick of the 2020 NFL Draft, has never missed a game for the Jaguars. But the injury suffered on a hit he took late in the fourth quarter forced him down on one knee, which led to Beathard entering the game.
The Jaguars won the game, 37-20, as Lawrence threw for 181 yards with two touchdowns and one interception.
This came after a brilliant performance in London against the Buffalo Bills, passing for 315 yards with one touchdown and no interceptions.
Lawrence and a stingy Jaguars defense have led the reigning AFC South champions to first place in the division. The Jaguars, though, won’t push Lawrence out on the field on a short week if there’s risk he could make the injury more severe.
Thursday night games have underwhelmed so far this season, and a Lawrence absence could continue that trend this week.