Jaguars vs. Titans: Trevor Lawrence Set To Start Despite Toe Injury
After a week of speculation on whether the Jacksonville Jaguars would have starting quarterback Trevor Lawrence available vs. the Tennessee Titans, it appears the answer has come: Lawrence will be active and start in Week 14.
Lawrence dealt with a toe sprain this week following an injury he sustained last Sunday. The injury forced Lawrence to miss practice on Wednesday and Thursday, though he returned to the practice field on Friday and himself said he expected to play.
Lawrence was then not included on the Jaguars' list of inactives this week, instead traveling to Nashville with the rest of the team. And with the Jaguars not elevating No. 3 quarterback E.J. Perry to the active roster for the weekend, the Jaguars are entering the week with just Lawrence and backup CJ Beathard at quarterback, a reflection of their confidence in Lawrence's health.
“It just depends on how he feels today. He’s studied all week. He’s got a ton of mental reps out on the field," Jaguars head coach Doug Pederson said about Lawrence, who missed practice on Wednesday and Thursday due to a sprained toe he sustained last week.
"He’s played, obviously, a lot of football already this year, so yeah, I think if he can get out there and move around and feel comfortable, he should be fine.”
Lawrence, who started the game 9-of-19 for 124 yards, dropped back to pass in the final seconds of a 23-6 half. He was sacked by Detriot Lions defender James Houston from the blindside, with Houston grabbing Lawrence's lower-half and twisting as he went to the ground.
Lawrence, who the broadcast showed walking to the locker room with trainers on his power, went down and screamed in pain as he was hit and Houston rolled off of him. Houston was not flagged for the low hit on Lawrence.
Lawrence ran onto the field shortly after the rest of the offense, warming up after the broadcast reported that head coach Doug Pederson said he still had a chance to play. Lawrence never missed a snap, leading the Jaguars on a 16-play, 75-yard drive that ended with a three-yard touchdown pass to Evan Engram.
Lawrence finished Sunday 17-of-31 (54.8%) for 179 yard and a touchdown. He was replaced by backup quarterback C.J. Beathard on the final drive of the game.
"We're talking about a toe here," Pederson said with a smile on Friday.
“It’s going to be his kind of peace of mind, quite honestly. Can he play through it? It’s going to be sore just like anybody’s injuries this time of year. He’s obviously a tough guy. He wants to play, wants to be out there. I think these next couple days I think, for him I think will probably ease any kind of tension that he might have going into the game.”
“From my experience here with Trevor, there’s never been a question of his toughness and his availability for the team, I don’t think. I think everybody feels very confident that if Trevor is going to play if Trevor has the ability to," Jaguars offensive coordinator Press Taylor said this week.
"There’s times when it’s our decision to protect players from themselves. Same thing with Travis (RB Travis Etienne Jr.). There was a possibility of Travis playing against Baltimore, and we decided to pull the plug on that just to protect him from himself. A lot of these guys are willing to play through a lot of things, but we need to do what’s best for the player as well as what’s best for our team, and we’ll continue to make those decisions.”
