Jacksonville Jaguars head coach Doug Pederson says "everything is stable" with Trevor Lawrence after the quarterback suffered an ankle injury in Monday's loss to the Cincinnati Bengals; Pederson has not ruled Lawrence out of Sunday's clash with Cleveland Browns
Tuesday 5 December 2023 19:48, UK
Jacksonville Jaguars head coach Doug Pederson says quarterback Trevor Lawrence was "very fortunate" to avoid a more serious injury after damaging his ankle in Monday's loss to the Cincinnati Bengals.
Lawrence was injured in the fourth quarter as Jake Browning threw for 354 yards and a touchdown in his second career start to lead the Bengals to a stunning 34-31 overtime win.
Browning also ran for a score as the Bengals (6-6) won on Monday Night Football for the first time since 1990 on Evan McPherson's 48-yard field goal in the extra frame, with Lawrence's injury for the Jaguars (8-4) appearing to be potentially the biggest blow of the evening for the home team.
Left tackle Walker Little stepped on Lawrence's ankle, causing him to twist it as he was sacked. Lawrence tried to get up, but dropped to the ground, ripped off his helmet and threw it in disgust. He was helped off the field and into the tunnel for X-rays.
Pederson said on Tuesday tests on Lawrence's right ankle showed "everything's stable, everything's good". He added surgery "is not necessarily something that would be warranted at this time".
"We'll see where he's at in a couple days," Pederson said roughly 12 hours after the game had finished.
"[It] looked worse than it really was. Very fortunate there."
It ended an otherwise stellar night for Lawrence, who completed 22 of 29 passes for 259 yards and two touchdowns. He also ran for a score.
Pederson has not ruled Lawrence out of Sunday's upcoming clash with the Cleveland Browns.
"I'm not going to put that timetable on Trevor," he added. "Not going to put him in a box like that. We'll see how he is in a couple of days."
Browning was equally stout in place of star Joe Burrow, who watched and coached from the sideline while wearing a cast and a sling. Browning completed 32 of 37 passes and directed the overtime drive that set up McPherson's winner.
McPherson, who played collegiately at nearby Florida, banged a 57-yarder off the crossbar in the same direction early in the game.
Jacksonville backup CJ Beathard completed nine of 10 passes for 63 yards in relief of Lawrence. Beathard put the Jaguars in position for Brandon McManus' 40-yard field goal with 26 seconds remaining in regulation.
Cincinnati Bengals
Jacksonville Jaguars
Ja'Marr Chase caught 11 passes for 149 yards and a touchdown, a 76-yarder in the third quarter that got the Bengals going. Joe Mixon ran for 68 yards and two scores, and rookie Chase Brown added 61 yards on the ground for the league's worst rushing attack. Mixon also had six receptions for 49 yards.
The Bengals made it harder than it should have been when coach Zac Taylor called a trick play that turned into a debacle in third.
Browning lateraled to receiver Tyler Boyd, who inexplicably threw directly to pass rusher Josh Allen. Allen caught the ball for his second career interception. The Jaguars scored four plays later when Lawrence jumped and stretched the ball across the goal line.
It was the second bungled trick play for the Bengals, who also lost seven yards when Chase completed a double pass to Browning. Still, the Bengals finished with 491 yards and were eight of 14 on third down.
Jags quarterback C.J. Beathard on injury to Lawrence: "First instinct was ah, it sucks for Trevor when you see him on the ground hurting. That sucks. It kind of takes the breath away from the guys on the sidelines and stuff when you see your starting quarterback hurting like that. But then you quickly flip into going into that two-minute drive to try and tie the game or win the game. Obviously, don't have much time for the news to kick in, just kind of got to go."
The Bengals are back in action at home to the Indianapolis Colts (7-5), while the Jaguars prepare for a spell without Lawrence on the road against the Cleveland Browns (7-5).
