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Trevor Lawrence concussion overshadows Jacksonville Jaguars 23-20 loss to Houston Texans
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- Trevor Lawrence concussion overshadows Jacksonville Jaguars 23-20 loss to Houston Texans
It went from bad to worse for the Jacksonville Jaguars (2-10) who were unable to fend off the AFC South Division-leading Houston Texans (8-5), losing 23-20 on Sunday.
Quarterback Trevor Lawrence was active for the first time since Week 9 against the Philadelphia Eagles . Lawrence sustained a shoulder injury against Philadelphia and missed the next two games of the season.
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After practicing limited this week, Lawrence felt healthy enough to suit up. He played before exiting the game during the first half because of a concussion. Lawrence was hit late by Texans linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair , who was ejected from the game.
A fight broke out immediately following with tight end Evan Engram the first to come to Lawrence's defense. In addition to Al-Shaair, Jaguars rookie corner Jarrian Jones was ejected from the game after apparently making contact with an official on the sideline amid the brawl.
The fight set the stage for the rest of the contest with the Jaguars unable to get much going until late in the game with backup QB Mac Jones replacing Lawrence.
Trevor Lawrence hit adds injury to insulting Jaguars season
Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence (16) is taken off the field in a medical cart during the second quarter of an NFL football matchup Sunday, Dec. 1, 2024 at EverBank Stadium in Jacksonville, Fla. [Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Union]
With Lawrence sustaining another injury this season, the team's outlook becomes that much bleaker. Lawrence finished the game after completing 4 of 10 passes for 41 yards and an interception — an underthrown ball intended for rookie wideout Brian Thomas Jr. , picked off by Texans corner Derek Stingley .
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Jacksonville hasn't caught a break this year. They've lost Lawrence for two games already due to a shoulder injury that could end up requiring surgery to fully recover from. The team also sustained multiple one-score losses to potentially knock them out of playoff contention as early as this week.
Still, even before Lawrence went down, Jacksonville's offense struggled to put anything together.
They finished the first half trailing 6-3, converted just five first downs and were 3-of-8 on third-down conversions. Jacksonville totaled just 100 net yards on offense. Jaguars running back Travis Etienne carried the ball eight times for 28 yards in the first half.
Jones posted a respectable game filling in for Lawrence, completing 20 of 32 passes for 235 yards and two touchdowns.
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Jaguars rookie receiver Brian Thomas Jr. tied a rookie franchise record for receiving touchdowns with six. He caught his sixth score of the season in the fourth quarter to cut Houston's lead to five points, 23-18. Jacksonville scored a two-point conversion with a pass from Jones to WR Parker Washington to cut Houston's lead to three points, 23-20.
MY CLEATS, MY CAUSE: Jaguars players, coaches, wear their causes on their cleats against Houston
The Jaguars finished the game with 19 total first downs, converted 5 of 15 third downs and totaling 373 yards.
Jaguars' Travon Walker , Josh Hines-Allen tally sacks in loss
Jacksonville's defense posted a respectable game against Houston's offense but was unable to stop the bleeding late as Houston pulled away, and couldn't get off the field when needed at the two-minute warning.
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Houston finished the first half with six points and punted on three of their first five possessions of the game before scoring two touchdowns during the second half of the contest.
Two bright spots Sunday included defensive ends Josh Hines-Allen and Travon Walker, both who notched sacks. Hines-Allen has six sacks this season, while Walker has 8.5. Walker is close to tying his career-high 10 sacks that was set last season.
Houston finished with 19 first downs, converted 4 of 12 on third downs and totaled 319 yards. Jacksonville held Houston to 50% conversions in the red zone.
Jaguars eliminated from AFC South contention after loss to Houston
The Jaguars are likely to be eliminated from the playoffs this week but are certain to miss the playoffs via the AFC South divisional title, officially eliminated from contention after losing to the Texans.
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Houston has eight wins, one more than Jacksonville can have even if they ran the table to end the season.
Demetrius Harvey is the Jacksonville Jaguars reporter for the Florida Times-Union. You can follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter, at @Demetrius82 or on Bluesky @ Demetrius .
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This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Jacksonville Jaguars lose Trevor Lawrence on hit, game to Texans, 23-20
