Jags rule out Lawrence, hope for post-bye return

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence will miss his second consecutive game with a left shoulder injury, coach Doug Pederson said Wednesday morning.

Mac Jones will start against the Detroit Lions on Sunday and Pederson is optimistic that Lawrence could return after the team’s Week 12 bye.

“You guys know how I am with injuries,” Pederson said. “We don’t want to put a player out there that’s not 100 percent, so we’re going to rest him one more week.”

Jones started last Sunday’s game against the Minnesota Vikings and completed 14 of 22 passes for 111 yards. He also turned the ball over three times (two interceptions) and was sacked three times in the Vikings’ 12-7 victory at EverBank Stadium.

Lawrence suffered a sprained AC joint in his left (non-throwing) shoulder in the first half of the Jaguars’ 28-23 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles on Nov. 3. He did not miss a snap against the Eagles. This will be the third game Lawrence has missed since the Jaguars drafted him first overall in 2021.

Lawrence has thrown for 2,004 yards and 11 touchdowns with six interceptions this season. He’s completing 61.3% of his passes, which is the second-lowest completion percentage of his career. Lawrence has thrown for 13,774 yards and 69 touchdowns with 45 interceptions in 59 games with the Jaguars. He leads the NFL in total turnovers since he entered the league (67), although he has been significantly better this season with only seven (he averaged 20 per season over 2021-23).

This will be Jones’ second start since Week 12 of 2023, when he completed 12 of 21 passes for 89 yards with two interceptions in the New England Patriots‘ 10-7 loss to the New York Giants. He missed the Patriots’ final six games, and they traded him to Jacksonville for a sixth-round pick in the 2024 draft.