Trevor Lawrence‘s streak of 48 consecutive starts is still alive.
The Jaguars quarterback (concussion) is questionable for Jacksonville’s Week 16 game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Head coach Doug Pederson told reporters on Friday that Lawrence would need to be cleared Saturday in order to travel with the team to Tampa.
Lawrence suffered the concussion in Jacksonville’s Week 15 loss to Baltimore, finishing the game before reporting concussion-like symptoms, which landed him in the concussion protocol following the game. Veteran backup C.J. Beathard — who is dealing with an injury to his non-throwing shoulder — would start if Lawrence isn’t able to play Sunday.
Lawrence’s concussion became the latest unfortunate outcome in an injury-filled 2023 campaign, in which the quarterback has been forced to play through knee and ankle ailments. Lawrence played through the latter injury in each of the last two games for Jacksonville, with both ending in defeats.
Despite these health issues, Lawrence has managed to complete 65.9 percent of his passes for 3,525 yards and an 18-10 touchdown-to-interception ratio in 2023. He’s struggled as of late, seeing his completion percentage drop by 12.7 percentage points, and posting a 4-5 TD-INT ratio and 73.8 passer rating in his last two games.
At 8-6, Jacksonville is clinging to a narrow lead atop the AFC South. Both Indianapolis and Houston own identical 8-6 records with three games left to play.
There is a silver lining: Jacksonville has played exceptionally well away from home in 2023, posting a 6-1 record in games played at sites outside of Duval County. They’ll hope to continue this success Sunday — ideally, with Lawrence leading them.
