Buccaneers' matchup with Jaguars just got tougher after latest news
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers will look to secure first place in the NFC South all to themselves when they take on the AFC South-leading Jacksonville Jaguars on Sunday afternoon. With today's news, that game just became an even bigger challenge. Jaguars QB Trevor Lawrence has reportedly cleared concussion protocol and will play on Sunday against […]
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers will look to secure first place in the NFC South all to themselves when they take on the AFC South-leading Jacksonville Jaguars on Sunday afternoon. With today's news, that game just became an even bigger challenge.
Jaguars QB Trevor Lawrence has reportedly cleared concussion protocol and will play on Sunday against the Buccaneers.
Lawrence suffered a concussion late in the Jaguars' 23-7 loss to the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday night. He returned to the practice field on Friday, with head coach Doug Pederson saying that he had a "better than a coin flip" chance of clearing the league's concussion protocol in time.
Lawrence's ability to play one week after a concussion is a bit on the fast side, as many players have missed the following week while still in the league's concussion protocol throughout the season. In fact, according to News4Jax.com, 59% of players in the protocol from 2015 through 2020 missed one or more games with a median of 9 days in protocol. So while it may be fast, he's far from the only player to play the week after entering the protocol.
There's no denying Lawrence gives the Jaguars the best chance to win on Sunday, and that the Jaguars' offense is better with him on the field. With that being said, the news of his return might not be the worst thing to happen to the Buccaneers. Lawrence and the Jaguars have been struggling as of late, as Jacksonville has dropped three straight games while the Bucs are on a three-game winning streak.
Tampa Bay also has an ugly trend of making too many backup quarterbacks look like world beaters over the last decade and a half, so perhaps it's not entirely a bad thing that the Buccaneers will not end up facing Jaguars backup QB C.J. Beathard.
Regardless, a mostly healthy Buccaneers defense will get their chance to try to send Lawrence and the Jaguars to a fourth straight loss when the teams kick off at 4:05 pm ET on Sunday afternoon inside Raymond James Stadium.
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