JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (AP) — Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence will miss his second consecutive game because of an injury to his left, non-throwing shoulder.
Coach Doug Pederson ruled Lawrence out Wednesday and said Mac Jones will start at Detroit (8-1) on Sunday.
“We don’t want to put a player out there that’s not a hundred percent, so we’re going to rest him more week,” Pederson said.
Jacksonville has a bye week after playing the Lions, so Lawrence will get three weeks of rest before attempting to return against Houston on Dec. 1.
“We’ve got some time,” Pederson said. “It’s still a question mark, but I’m optimistic.”
Lawrence took a hit to his left shoulder while scrambling at Philadelphia on Nov. 3. Instead of sliding, he chose to go head-first and got hammered by linebacker Zack Baun. Lawrence practiced in a limited role last week but was ruled out before a 12-7 loss to Minnesota.
Jones made his first start in nearly a year last week and completed 14 of 22 passes for 111 yards, with three sacks and three turnovers. Jones had two interceptions and a fumble in the fourth quarter. The Jaguars (2-8) finished with 143 yards, the fifth-lowest total in franchise history.
It was a less-than-ideal start for a pending free agent who is hoping to get a chance to compete for a starting job elsewhere next year. The Jaguars traded a sixth-round pick to New England in March in an effort to upgrade the backup spot behind Lawrence.
“It's the simple things, going through my reads, taking what the defense gives and leading the team down the field," Jones said. “Try to focus on the now and the present; that's the best way to do it. You don't want to get generalized and look for the future or look back. I understand this league is about opportunity, and we have a great one this week.”
Lawrence, the top pick in the 2021 draft, missed a game for the first time in his professional career in 2023 because of a sprained right shoulder sustained in Week 16. He also missed significant practice time because of other injuries: a sprained left knee in Week 6, a sprained right ankle in Week 13 and a concussion in Week 15.
Pederson said last week he has learned that Lawrence needs to practice during the week to be fully effective in games.
Nonetheless, the Jaguars signed Lawrence to a five-year, $275 million contract extension in June that made him one of the highest-paid quarterbacks in NFL history.
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AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl
Mark Long, The Associated Press
