Week 7 NFL Rankings: Bengals and Browns up, Falcons down again
Mackenzie Salmon breaks down the biggest risers and fallers in this week’s NFL power rankings.
Athletic pulse
Trevor Lawrence has yet to miss a game in his NFL career, and the Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback is hoping his run of 40 consecutive regular season seasons over three years doesn’t end on Thursday.
Lawrence was hampered this week by a knee sprain suffered in the final minutes of the Jaguars’ 37-20 win over the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday. He was listed as limited Tuesday and Wednesday on Jacksonville’s injury report.
Now with the Thursday Night Football game against the New Orleans Saints looming, Lawrence appears to be in wait-and-see mode.
Here’s the latest news on Lawrence’s injury status:
Trevor Lawrence injury update
Lawrence was officially classified as questionable, but he was optimistic Tuesday that he would be able to play.
“I’ll do my best to be there,” Lawrence said. “I feel a lot better today than I thought I would. I like the way I’m progressing and I’ll do everything I can to be there on Thursday.”
Offensive coordinator Bryce Taylor said Jacksonville’s coaching staff will make the final decision on Lawrence’s playing status.
“As long as Trevor is in a position where he can’t injure himself or as long as he gives us the best chance to win the game and not risk himself or anything else, that’s what we keep doing,” Taylor said. .
Who is the Jaguars’ backup quarterback?
If Lawrence is unable to play, the starting role will likely fall to CJ Beathard, who took over first-team training this week.
Beathard, 29, started 12 games with the San Francisco 49ers from 2017-2020, but has not played any significant snaps for Jacksonville since joining the team in 2021.
The Jaguars on Wednesday signed Nathan Rourke from the practice squad to the active roster to provide additional depth at quarterback.
Jaguars injury report at Saints
The Jaguars’ offense has injury issues that extend beyond Lawrence, as wide receiver Zay Jones and left tackle Walker Little have both been ruled out with knee ailments, while offensive guard Brandon Scherff (ankle) is questionable. On defense, cornerback Tyson Campbell (hamstring) and defensive tackle Davon Hamilton (linebacker) were ruled out.
Meanwhile, the Saints will be without offensive linemen Ryan Ramczyk (concussion) and James Hurst (ankle) as well as tight end Juwan Johnson (calf). Outside linebacker Demario Davis (knee) and safety Tyrann Mathieu (foot) are both questionable.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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