Doug Pederson can keep Jags afloat if Trevor Lawrence misses time
The Jacksonville Jaguars didn't lose just a game to the Cincinnati Bengals on Monday Night Football. They also lost star quarterback Trevor Lawrence for the game and they missed out on the chance to earn the rights to the AFC's No. 1 seed."Look, that's part of the game. It happens. It's unfortunate," Jaguars head coach […]
The Jacksonville Jaguars didn't lose just a game to the Cincinnati Bengals on Monday Night Football. They also lost star quarterback Trevor Lawrence for the game and they missed out on the chance to earn the rights to the AFC's No. 1 seed.
"Look, that's part of the game. It happens. It's unfortunate," Jaguars head coach Doug Pederson told reporters after the game. "Next guy up has to be ready to go and play. I thought the guys that filled in were just that. They were ready to go.
Going back to Lawrence, NFL Network's Tom Pelissero reported he will undergo an MRI on Tuesday to determine the severity of the injury. Results could come back positive, but it doesn't seem like that will be the case after Cameron Wolfe's update regarding Lawrence using crutches and a walking boot.
Doug Pederson could find himself in very familiar territory
Pederson wouldn't really commit to the idea of C.J. Beathard as his starting quarterback after the game. And it's mostly due to the fact that he didn't have all the details on Lawrence, which makes sense. Head coaches aren't going to give many injury details to begin with, especially if they aren't completely aware of the context of the injury.
If Lawrence misses time, it's obviously a big blow and it comes at the worst time of the year: at the start of December. The Jags were gearing up for the stretch run and now they'll have to pivot.
But, this isn't unknown territory for Pederson. He won his Super Bowl with the Philadelphia Eagles in similar fashion when then-MVP candidate, Carson Wentz, tore his ACL in Week 14 of the 2017 season. Pederson was able to guide Nick Foles and the Eagles to a 2-1 record through the final three games in order to earn the No. 1 seed. He then proceeded to tailor the offense more to Foles' strengths during the playoff bye and it was key in helping the franchise when its first-ever world championship.
"We got 100% confidence in C.J.," said Pederson. "He did a nice job getting us down the field there, tying the football game. Should have been the game-winning field goal, but it wasn't. Got a lot of confidence in C.J. He's a veteran player. He's played a lot of football. If he happens to be the guy, then we get behind him and support him…
"… I don't think we have to change up a whole lot. C.J., you just got to utilize C.J.'s strengths. I don't want C.J. to be Trevor either. C.J. has got to be C.J. That's something moving forward, if C.J. plays next week, that's the game plan, right? You utilize his strength, tailor the offense around that."
It's the last sentence that harkens back to '17 in a big way. The NFC was no cakewalk that season, either, much like the AFC is, now. Granted, the Jags are in a different spot now that they're currently the AFC's No. 4 seed. But, Jacksonville has the sixth-easiest remaining strength of schedule, with a matchup against the Baltimore Ravens coming up. The road to the No. 1 seed is certainly there – the Jags just have to clear the path.
And if they do that, not only could there be a chance of a Lawrence return in the playoffs, but Pederson will have a great shot at resurrecting the postseason magic we saw in 2017.
In other words: hope is nowhere near lost.
