Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence is reportedly in position to keep his consecutive games streak alive. Lawrence was questionable for Sunday’s game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers after being placed into the concussion protocol this week, but according to a report from ESPN on Saturday, he cleared the protocol and is in line to start.
It will be Lawrence’s 49th consecutive start in the NFL, a streak that will tie him with Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes for the second-longest active streak in the NFL. They both trail Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen, who has started 85 consecutive games.
Lawrence has been injured on three separate occasions and has had an especially bad run of injury luck over the past couple of weeks. After suffering a high-ankle sprain three weeks ago that removed him from a Thursday night overtime loss to the Cincinnati Bengals in the fourth quarter, he suffered a concussion in Sunday’s loss to the Baltimore Ravens.
None of those injuries, however, have been enough to keep him out of the lineup. He has never missed a game in his NFL career.
Lawrence has taken a small step backward this season, throwing for 3,525 yards, 18 touchdowns and 10 interceptions while completing 65.9 percent of his passes.
The Jaguars will need Lawrence to play well as they try to hold on to the top spot in the AFC South.
A few weeks ago the Jaguars seemed to have a comfortable lead on the division, jumping out to a 6-2 record going into their bye week. Since then the Jaguars have gone just 2-4 (including their current three-game losing streak) and enter the weekend in a three-way tie with Houston Texans and Indianapolis Colts. Not only is the division now in some doubt, but a playoff spot is no longer a guarantee.
The Jaguars entered the season with massive expectations after winning the AFC South and a playoff game a year ago, especially after adding wide receiver Calvin Ridley to their lineup. They still have a strong roster, but they need to finish strong with what looks to be a very favorable schedule. They do not play a team with a winning record the rest of the way, facing Carolina and Tennessee after Sunday’s game against Tampa Bay.
