Jaguars RB James Robinson Expected to Play in Week 16 Despite Ankle Injury

James Robinson won't practice on Wednesday but he has told head coach Doug Marrone that he expects to play on Sunday against the Chicago Bears.

Jacksonville Jaguars running back James Robinson left Week 15's game with an ankle injury, but the rookie running back is pushing to play in Week 16 against the Chicago Bears. 

Jaguars head coach Doug Marrone said they would rest Robinson for Wednesday's practice, but it appears the likelihood is that the Jaguars will have their star rookie running back against a surging 7-7 Bears team. 

"James, what we are going to do is we are going to rest him [Wednesday], I think, and be cautious with him," Marrone said. "But obviously he has already said he wants to play and feels like he will play. That is him speaking."

Robinson played 36 snaps in a 40-14 loss to the Baltimore Ravens in Week 15 before leaving the game with an ankle injury with 9:46 left in the fourth quarter. 

Robinson rushed 16 times for 35 yards (2.2 yards per carry) and caught three passes for 18 yards and a touchdown before his injury. The undrafted rookie has been the heartbeat of the team's offense this year, so his status for Sunday's game will clearly have a major impact on the outcome of the game.

"We are going to rest him today, come back tomorrow and do stuff with him. That is just -- he wants to practice. That is a coach's decision," Marrone said Wednesday. "We are just keeping him back because today is just a lot of walkthroughs. He wants to play. We will get him out there on Thursday, see how he runs around, he's not limping, not doing anything like that.

"I feel good talking to him that he is going to play. I was talking more about today than about the game status."

The Illinois State product has gone from undrafted free agent signee to being one of the top rushers in the league this season. Robinson has carried the ball 240 times for 1,070 yards (4.5 yards per carry) and seven touchdowns, along with 49 catches for 344 yards (7.0 yards per catch) and three touchdowns.

Robinson currently ranks fourth in the NFL in rushing attempts and yards from scrimmage, third in rushing yards, and fifth in rushing yards per game. Robinson currently has the second-most scrimmage yards for a rookie in franchise history, passing Maurice Jones-Drew this past weekend when he collected 53 yards and a touchdown catch.

In Week 14, Robinson became the fourth undrafted rookie in NFL history to total at least 1,000 rushing yards, and the fastest to do so. Robinson is the third rookie running back in Jaguars history to total 1,000 yards in a season and the fourth running back overall in franchise history to rush for 1,000-plus yards. Robinson’s 1,361 scrimmage yards through 13 games were the most by an undrafted rookie in NFL history through that many career games.