Jaguars News: HC Doug Pederson makes something clear about Trevor Lawrence's return to the field

Undoubtedly, at this point in the 2024 NFL season, the performance shown by the Jacksonville Jaguars has fallen far short of the expectations the team had at the start of the year. Doug Pederson is aware of this and knows that he needs his QB, Trevor Lawrence, at full physical health in order to turn around a disappointing campaign, one that could land them with one of the worst records in the league.

The former Clemson player missed his team’s last two games due to a shoulder injury, which seems to have no lingering effects on Lawrence. The Jaguars will host the Houston Texans in a key divisional matchup, and the head coach spoke out regarding the QB’s status.

After the Bye Week this past weekend, the team had time to recover, as did their franchise player. Upon returning to practice, the coach saw Lawrence in good shape and remains confident about his presence on Sunday.

That’s how NFL insider Ian Rapoport expressed it through his X (formerly Twitter) account @RapSheet: “Jaguars coach Doug Pederson told reporters that QB Trevor Lawrence, dealing with a significant AC joint sprain ‘had a good week.’ ‘I would say as of right now, yes, he will play.‘“

During the absence of the Jaguars’ starting quarterback on their roster, none other than former Patriots player Mac Jones took the reins of the team, but he faced serious difficulties in leading the team to victory.

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Lawrence knows the difficulty of facing the Texans

Lawrence’s presence has not yet been confirmed, although it is believed that he will return after missing his team’s last two games. On the horizon are the Houston Texans led by CJ Stroud, a team they already faced earlier this season. The QB spoke with the press and knows the kind of opponent they will be up against.

“Their defense has been playing great,” Lawrence said. “Obviously, the two guys on the edge, those guys have been big players for them. Obviously, we’ve played against Will [Texans DE Will Anderson Jr.] a few times, just him being there the last couple of years. And then Danielle [Texans DE Danielle Hunter] on the other side, he’s having a great year. He’s been a great player for a long time. So those guys, they make everything go. Not to take anything away from the other guys, they’ve got a good defense.”

“But they just fly around. They’re well-coached. It’s not the most complicated scheme, but it helps them play fast and be on the same page and really anticipate and react and kind of play ahead of some offense as you see on tape. They just play really fast. I think that helps them,” he also added.

Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence (16) throws a pass during a game between the Jacksonville Jaguars and the Houston Texans in Houston, TX.

The future of the Jaguars this season

The Jaguars’ disappointing season has led many to start thinking about the future of the franchise. However, Trevor Lawrence still believes that the remaining games are crucial for the team, and he expressed this to the press.

“We got to regroup and kind of reflect a little bit over the bye week. We’ve got six weeks. That’s what we’re guaranteed. Beyond that, who knows what can happen. You see some crazy things. So, we don’t feel like we’re necessarily out of anything. It’s definitely a challenge. It’s an uphill battle, but that’s what we’ve got in front of us. It’s a situation we put ourselves in. Four division games, that also adds a wrinkle to a lot can happen at the end of the season. We just have to take it one week at a time though, and this is a big one,” Lawrence stated.

He finally concluded: “We just want to go play our best football on Sunday and find a way to win, and then we’ll move on after that. But 100 percent, four out of six division games. That’s really big for our team. Regardless of how this thing shapes up in the end, we’ve got six games of football left. So, it doesn’t really matter what the big picture is. You want to go out there and play your best and really play better than we have in the past, however many games.”