'I knew something was off': Jaguars QB Trevor Lawrence injured on third quarter play
Trevor Lawrence exited the Jacksonville Jaguars’ 30-12 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers with a shoulder injury he sustained at the end of the third quarter.
Trailing by 30 points on a fourth-and-1, Lawrence scrambled from the pocket and extended for a first down but was shoved out of bounds.
He landed awkwardly on his throwing shoulder and after finishing out the drive, he was replaced by backup quarterback CJ Beathard.
Jaguars Report Card: An all-around FFF-ailure, slump continues in 30-12 loss to Tampa Bay
“When I landed, I knew something was off,” Lawrence said after the game. “The next play [I] throw it, it kind of hurts to throw. I just wanted to finish the drive out and we were able to get some points.
“Then on the two-point [attempt], I just could tell by the way I threw it, I couldn't really get my shoulder up good enough to really keep playing.”
Lawrence helped Jacksonville get their first points of the night on the drive, but it came at a hefty cost with the third-year quarterback suffering his fourth injury of the season.
After the game, Lawrence kept his shoulder and right arm very still during his postgame press conference, but he did not wear a sling or any visible bandaging.
This doesn't look good for Trevor Lawrence and the @Jaguars 😔 pic.twitter.com/PInc6fZt1z
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“It’s bothering me,” he said. “We're gonna check it out tomorrow. [We’ll] have more [details] later on in the week. Hopefully, nothing major, but yeah, it's bugging me right now.”
Lawrence finished his night completing 17 of 29 passes for 211 yards. But he threw two interceptions and fumbled on Jacksonville’s first drive of the third quarter.
He was sacked three times before being benched and looked out of sync with his receivers in the early going.
It was a bad performance out of him on a short week of practice due to him being in the concussion protocol. In fact, Lawrence remained in the protocol until Saturday where he cleared it and was able to travel with the team to Tampa Bay.
His game status was questionable heading into the matchup, but head coach Doug Pederson said he never considered not playing Lawrence once he cleared the NFL's concussion protocol.
Jacksonville players will be off Monday for Christmas and Tuesday for their regularly scheduled off day.
Lawrence will potentially talk to the media on Wednesday, if his injury is not substantial. Pederson is currently scheduled to speak with media on Tuesday afternoon and will give an update on Lawrence.
The Jaguars will face the Carolina Panthers next week at EverBank Stadium.
Juston Lewis is a sports reporter for the Florida Times-Union. You can follow him on the website formerly known as Twitter at @JustonLewis_.
This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Jaguars QB Trevor Lawrence injures shoulder while trailing by 30