Could Mac Jones finish the season as quarterback for the Jacksonville Jaguars?

Trevor Lawrence, quarterback for the Jacksonville Jaguars, played in Sunday’s game after missing the last two because of an injury to his left shoulder. He was hoping to end the NFL team’s five-game losing streak.

It wasn’t because of the shoulder, but because of a late hit by Houston Texans linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair in the second quarter that put the quarterback through the NFL’s concussion procedure. Lawrence didn’t make it to halftime.

Even so, it didn’t help end the losing run. After losing 23–20 to the Texans, the Jaguars were 2–10 with five games left on their 2024 schedule.

If the No. 1 pick in the 2021 NFL Draft isn’t fully fit, could Jacksonville decide it’s not worth putting him back in harm’s way in 2024?

Jaguars coach Doug Pederson said on Monday, “You’ve got to think about it all and make a smart choice.” “Make a sound decision about his health and then, of course, where we stand as a team right now.”

In the event that Lawrence needs to sit down again, Mac Jones will have more work to do.

Jones filled in for Lawrence in Saturday’s 12–7 loss to the Minnesota Vikings and Sunday’s 52–6 loss to the Detroit Lions. The former Alabama All-American completed 31 out of 51 passes for 249 yards, but threw three interceptions and no scores in those games.

After taking over for Lawrence on Sunday, Jones played better. Twenty of the 32 passes he attempted went for 235 yards, two scores, and no interceptions. He also ran three times for 6 yards.

Mac did a good job, Pederson said. “This put us back in the game.” Some really nice things were done. Positioned themselves in the hole, played tough, and scrambled. Run the offence is what you tell your backup quarterback to do. Additionally, he did a good job there.

Jones came into the game for a third-and-1 play at the Houston 45-yard line, with Jacksonville down 6-0. The game was over after the Jaguars scored a field goal. But Jacksonville was down 23-6 when it took over at its own 28-yard line with 12:11 left in the game.

In response, the Jaguars scored touchdowns on drives of 72 and 84 yards. Jones completed 13 of 18 passes for 134 yards, two scores, and a two-point conversion, cutting Houston’s lead to three points with 3:31 left in the game.

Jones explained that because they went “hurry-up,” they would be throwing a lot of passes and having a chance to move the team down the field.

He said he thought about an onside kick but decided to go for a defensive stop instead. It didn’t happen because the Texans got two first downs and control of the game for the rest of it thanks to five handoffs to running back Joe Mixon.

According to Pederson, the Jacksonville offence had to get past losing Lawrence in order to have a chance to win.

APD said, “It takes some wind out of your sails.” “But on the bright side, Mac came in and tied the football game again. I’m also very proud of that.”

After a scramble, Al-Shaair hit Lawrence as the QB was sliding to a stop. This led to a fight, and two players were ejected.

James Jones said of Lawrence, “He’s a tough guy. I really wanted to get the win for him but obviously fell short.” But I will definitely pray for him.

“When things like that happen in sports, it makes you feel a lot.” We did work together as a team and fought hard for Trevor, but in the end we lost. There was a response, though.

Jones’s touchdowns on Sunday were his first since Nov. 5, 2023, when he threw a 14-yard score to tight end Hunter Henry in a 20–17 loss to the Washington Commanders.

Jones had started 41 games for the Patriots in his three years with the team. He didn’t play in the last six games of the 2023 season, though, because he was two games away from being benched.

After trading Jones to the Jaguars in March, New England put him on backup duty.

The Jaguars’ next game is Sunday at noon CST at Nissan Stadium in Nashville, Tennessee, against the Titans. It is another AFC South game.