JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence feared the worst when his left leg got twisted underneath him as he was being sacked Sunday against the Detroit Lions.
He immediately grabbed his left knee after the play, but that fear quickly turned to relief once the pain in his knee subsided. He realized the injury to his left big toe was the real problem.
“[It] just scared me more than anything because it [his knee] bent a way it’s probably not supposed to bend,” Lawrence said. “But, yeah, I kind of dodged the bullet for sure on that.”
Lawrence said he expects to play against the Tennessee Titans on Sunday at Nissan Stadium despite missing practice Wednesday – the first time he has missed a practice since his junior season at Clemson when he missed back-to-back games after he contracted COVID.
“That’s the plan,” Lawrence said. “… Feeling better today than I was Monday and yesterday. A little bit of the soreness is kind of going down a little bit. Obviously still sore and kind of taking it day by day, but … I feel pretty good.”
Head coach Doug Pederson said he was unsure of Lawrence’s status for Sunday’s game, but also believes Lawrence will practice at some point this week.
“Obviously, when it's your quarterback, or any player, there's a level of concern," Pederson said. "But we've still got several days before the game. He's tough and he'll do everything in his power to try to be out there.”
Lawrence hasn’t missed a start since the Jaguars took him with the No. 1 pick in the 2021 NFL draft. He has thrown for 2,834 yards and 17 touchdowns and six interceptions this season. If he’s unable to play, the Jaguars would look to backup C.J. Beathard, who would make his 13th career start.