The NFL season is far from over, but several teams have had poor performances, and at this point, many are already thinking about what’s to come next year. The Jacksonville Jaguars are a clear example, although they remain hopeful about what might happen following Trevor Lawrence‘s return. Doug Pederson will do everything possible to ensure the QB is on the field against the Houston Texans this Sunday.
The former Clemson player was absent the last two games from the starting lineup due to a left shoulder injury that had been bothering him. As a result, the head coach opted for Mac Jones to take his place. After the Bye Week, Lawrence returned to practice, and if all goes as expected, he should be able to return to the starting role on Sunday.
“It’s encouraging,” Pederson said. “We’ll get through today obviously. I’m not going to commit, but it was a good start to the week. We’ll see how he handles much more of a workload today.”
Next Sunday, the Jaguars will host the Houston Texans at EverBank Stadium in a crucial divisional matchup for both franchises. If Lawrence doesn’t recover fully, former Patriots QB Mac Jones will once again take the field as the starter.
“It’s encouraging… It was a good start to the week.” Coach Pederson on @Trevorlawrencee practicing and getting first-team reps ahead of #HOUvsJAX
Jacksonville currently holds a poor record of 2 wins and 9 losses, making them one of the worst teams of the season. If they don’t secure more wins for the rest of the year, the strong focus will undoubtedly be on securing a high pick in next year’s draft.
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Could Trevor Lawrence undergo surgery?
Trevor Lawrence missed the last two games for his team and was able to take advantage of a bye week to further recover his left shoulder. However, his recovery is not 100% guaranteed, nor is his availability. Could he end up needing surgery if he doesn’t fully recover?
“Hopefully I’m able to get back out there this week or as soon as possible and then it’s going to be just every week kind of evaluating it, seeing where it’s at,” Lawrence said, via Michael DiRocco of ESPN.com. “Obviously up until this point I’ve been doing everything I can to avoid that and want to be back out there with my guys and finish the season. So that’s my goal.”
Week 6 Chicago Bears v Jacksonville Jaguars Trevor Lawrence of the Jacksonville Jaguars during the pre game warm up during the Week 6 match Chicago Bears vs Jacksonville Jaguars at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, London, United Kingdom, 13th October 2024.
Pederson used the bye week to prepare for what’s to come
The Jaguars’ poor performance welcomed this bye week before returning to competition with open arms. Doug Pederson, in his traditional press conference, made it clear what lies ahead for his team.
“We took a dive into that schematically just to see where we were and see what we’re doing and see what we do well. There are some things that, I’m not going to get into the whole details of things, but there are things in the run game that we’ve got to get back to,” the HC stated.
He finally added: “Even in the passing game, tweaking some things there and some things that we can hopefully help our production in the next six weeks, and then ultimately just have some time away. As I said last week, we needed some rest and get refreshed and see where these next six weeks go.”