BREAKING: Jacksonville Jaguars Rule Trevor Lawrence OUT for Week 17 vs. Carolina Panthers

The Jacksonville Jaguars will be without star quarterback Trevor Lawrence in Week 17 against the Carolina Panthers, boosting the Houston Texans' playoff chances.

The Jacksonville Jaguars ruled star quarterback Trevor Lawrence out for Sunday’s contest against the Carolina Panthers.

The quarterback will miss Week 17 with an injury to his throwing shoulder, but he’s been banged up for much of the year. He suffered a knee bruise in October and in December dealt with a high ankle sprain and a concussion. Even so, this will be the first time Lawrence will miss a game due to injury in the NFL.

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Jacksonville currently sits tied atop the AFC South with the Indianapolis Colts and Houston Texans at 8-7. These final two games will be critical for each of them as they vie for a spot in the AFC playoff picture. Winning the division is the simplest way in.

Although the visiting Panthers (2-13) don’t present the biggest threat on Sunday, losing the best player on the offense is going to hinder anyone’s chances. Backup quarterback C.J. Beathard will start in Lawrence’s place.

The majority of Beathard’s action has come this month. He came in for relief of Lawrence after the ankle sprain against the Cincinnati Bengals, completing nine of 10 passes for 63 yards. After Lawrence exited against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 16, Beathard completed 11 of 15 attempts for 94 yards and a score.

The Jaguars lost both games.

Unsurprisingly, this is big news for the Texans, who face an easier path to the playoffs if Jacksonville falls on Sunday.

Per the New York Times playoff simulator, Houston has about a 37 percent chance at getting in. A Jaguars loss pushes that number north of 40. With a win of their own over the Tennessee Titans, the Texans would approach a 60-percent chance of getting in.

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From there, winning out and beating the Colts in Indianapolis would lock them in, as a 10-7 record would put them ahead of their two 9-8 rivals. Jacksonville, with a healthy-ish Lawrence under center, is the biggest threat to Houston. Lawrence going down, even for a week, could have major implications.

Given the laundry list of injuries he has suffered and his importance to the long-term prosperity of the franchise, it makes sense for the Jaguars to be conservative with their franchise quarterback, just as the Texans were with C.J. Stroud.