Trevor Lawrence to miss second straight game with shoulder injury

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Trevor Lawrence will miss his second consecutive start due to a shoulder injury but the team is optimistic he could return after the bye week head coach Doug Pederson said on Wednesday morning.

Lawrence missed last Sunday’s game against the Vikings with an injury to his nonthrowing shoulder and will sit out this week’s game at Detroit (8-1). The team has a bye week following the Lions game.

A bigger question, will Pederson still be leading the team after the bye week, or will owner Shad Khan consider a change following one of the most disappointing seasons in his tenure.

Pederson said that Lawrence was just not quite ready to be put back into service this week. Jacksonville native Mac Jones will make his second start in place of Lawrence.

“He’s getting close,” Pederson said. “But again … We don’t want to put a player out there that’s not 100% so we’re going to rest him one more week.”

When asked if Lawrence could return after the team’s bye week, Pederson was hopeful but not certain.

“Still a question mark, but I’m optimistic, yeah,” he said.

The Jaguars (2-8) are mired in a miserable season. They have only the slimmest of chances of reaching the playoffs, 2% according to ESPN. If the season ended today, Jacksonville would hold the No. 1 pick in the draft for the third time in five seasons. They took Lawrence and Travon Walker with those previous top selections. They gave Lawrence a massive extension in the offseason, a $275 million deal that made him one of the highest-paid players in NFL history. Walker had 10 sacks last year and leads Jacksonville with 7.5 sacks this season. He also returned a fumble for a touchdown in Week 9 against the Eagles.

Jacksonville has shown flashes this season but they look far too much like they team that posted a 1-5 finish in 2023. Pederson fired defensive coordinator Mike Caldwell and most of the defensive staff as a result, but that side of the ball has been worse this season than under Caldwell. The offense, Pederson’s specialty, is one of the league’s worst.

Jacksonville started Jones against the Vikings, who struggled mightily in the 12-7 loss. Jones had a rushing touchdown in the first quarter but stalled after that.

He threw two interceptions and lost a fumble all in the final seven minutes of the game as the Jaguars wasted three interceptions of Sam Darnold in the loss. Jacksonville managed just 143 yards, the fifth-worst total in the franchise’s 30-year history. Jones was 14 of 22 passing for 111 yards and was sacked three times. The Jaguars are just 3-13 since they started 8-3 last year and briefly held the No. 1 seed in the AFC.