Jaguars QB Trevor Lawrence to undergo tests on injured shoulder

TAMPA — Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence will undergo additional tests on his injured right shoulder Monday, leaving his status in doubt for Sunday's critical game against the Carolina Panthers.

“It bothers me,” Lawrence said after the Jaguars' 30-12 loss to Tampa at Raymond James Stadium. “Hopefully nothing serious but, yeah, it’s bothering me right now.”

Lawrence was injured when he stretched and dove for a first down on the sideline on a fourth-and-1 play late in the third quarter. He was pushed by Bucs linebacker Yaya Diaby as he dove, landed on his right shoulder out of bounds and slid into the Bucs bench zone.

Lawrence stayed in the game to finish the drive, completing 4 of 5 passes, including an 18-yarder to Calvin Ridley for a touchdown.

“When I landed, I knew something was wrong,” Lawrence said. “And the next play, it hurt a little bit to throw. I wanted to finish the drive out and we were able to score a few points and then on the two points. [conversion attempt] I could tell by the way I threw it that I couldn't really get my shoulder up enough to continue playing.

“I would have loved to stay in, but I would hurt everyone at that point if I did, so they called to just sit me out for the rest of the night.”

Backup CJ Beathard finished the game and completed 11 of 15 passes for 94 yards and a touchdown. Lawrence had completed 18 of 30 passes for 213 yards and a touchdown with two interceptions and lost a fumble before leaving the game. According to ESPN Stats & Information, this was Lawrence's eighth career game with more than three turnovers, three more than any other player since Lawrence entered the NFL in 2021. Buffalo's Josh Allen and Mac Jones of New England have five games with more than three turnovers. .

Lawrence tried to keep his right arm and shoulder still as he left the field after the loss and behaved similarly during his post-match press conference, although he moved at times his arm. At the time Lawrence was injured, the Jaguars were leading 30-0, but head coach Doug Pederson said he had no plans to bench Lawrence – who spent the entire week in the team's protocol. NFL on concussions before being cleared Saturday morning – at that time. third quarter.

Lawrence was injured with 2:26 left in the period. Pederson also said he never considered not starting Lawrence against the Bucs, even though he did not practice Wednesday and Thursday and only participated on a limited basis in Friday's practice .

“Once Trevor was cleared and he was good, he spent the week in meetings and all that, I didn't hesitate [to start him against the Bucs] once he's cleared,” Pederson said. “He's our starter and we're rolling.”

This is the fourth injury Lawrence has suffered this season. He suffered a sprained left knee late in the Jaguars' win over Indianapolis in Week 6, but he led the Jaguars to a victory over the New Orleans Saints four days later on a Thursday night. He suffered a sprained ankle against Cincinnati on December 4, but started the following week at Cleveland.

Lawrence has started 49 consecutive games since the Jaguars drafted him first overall in 2021, tied with Patrick Mahomes for the second-longest active streak among quarterbacks. Allen started 86 consecutive games for Buffalo.

The Jaguars (8-7) have lost four straight games but remain on top of the AFC South thanks to tiebreakers against Houston (8-7) and Indianapolis (8-7). According to ESPN analysis, the Jaguars still have a 65% chance of winning the division and can clinch their second straight division title on Sunday by beating the Panthers and losing to the Texans and Colts.

The Jaguars turned the ball over four times against the Bucs – giving them 10 in the last three games – and totaled a season-low 37 yards. The defense allowed the Bucs to convert 10 of 19 third downs and failed to force a turnover for the first time in December. A month ago, there was talk of the Jaguars competing for the AFC's No. 1 seed, but now Lawrence doesn't know how to stop their free fall.

“It seems like we don’t even practice,” he said. “We look lost. No sense of urgency. The list goes on and on. I feel like we have a good few weeks of preparation and I feel like we are ready for the matches, then something happens on match day last month where it all falls apart.

“It's our season. We've worked hard to get into this position and we're about to blow it, so we have to figure it out.”

When asked if things were at a critical point during the season, Pederson was blunt: “I would say, yes. Our goals are still ahead of us. Nothing has changed there, but somewhere , we must prevent this dam from bursting open.”