Trevor Lawrence Injured, on Crutches; Houston Texans Close AFC Playoff Gap on Jaguars

Trevor Lawrence Injured, on Crutches; Houston Texans Close AFC Playoff Gap on Jacksonville Jaguars

No one is rooting for injuries to key foes of the Houston Texans. But the NFL is a "game of attrition,'' and the Jacksonville Jaguars are in the midst of facing just that as standout quarterback Trevor Lawrence may now miss time after having left the "Monday Night Football'' game in the fourth quarter of Jacksonville's 34-31 overtime loss to the Cincinnati Bengals.

The loss of that game benefits the Texans. The potential absence of Lawrence - unfortunate but true - might do the same.

Lawrence sustained an ankle sprain and will have an MRI on Tuesday. 

“It sucks for Trevor,” said backup quarterback C.J. Beathard, who took over in this game and might have to continue doing so. “It takes the breath away from the guys on the sideline to see him hurting.”

That is a frank assessment; in addition to the impact of not having access to Lawrence's immense talent - he was the No. 1 pick in the NFL Draft in ... and in three seasons has never missed a game - there is the emotional drain on his concerned teammates.

'Team of Destiny' Texans '78-Percent Chance' of Making NFL Playoffs?

And then there are the NFL standings. The Jaguars - who entered Monday as an overwhelming favorite to win the AFC South - instead fell to 8-4 with the loss and now lead the Texans and Colts (both 7-5) by only one game in the AFC South.

The Jags have already registered one win over Houston, 24-21, just a couple of weeks ago, a game largely decided by a Texans' missed field goal. But back in September, the Texans pulled off a shocking 37-17 win over the heavily-favored Jags.

So in terms of tiebreakers and more, the AFC South window is open for a Houston team that last year finished a dismal, thus triggering the hiring of rookie coach DeMeco Ryans and the drafting of another "C.J.'' - rookie QB sensation C.J. Stroud.

“We’ve got 100-percent confidence in C.J. going forward,” Jags coach Doug Pederson said - meaning "C.J. Beathard.'' “I don’t think we have to change up a whole lot.”

Maybe not. But suddenly, a whole lot has changed around the Jaguars, around the Texans, and around the AFC South playoff chase.