Jaguars Senior Writer
JACKSONVILLE \u2013<\/strong> A feel-good season is now one of uncertainty.
Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence on Monday sustained an ankle injury in the fourth quarter of a 34-31 overtime loss to the Cincinnati Bengals<\/a> at EverBank Stadium in front of 67,951. He did not return after the injury, which came in the Jaguars’ first Monday Night Football appearance in 12 years.
Head Coach Doug Pederson was asked following the game his level of concern regarding Lawrence.
“I don’t know until I talked to the doctors, honestly,” Pederson said<\/a>.
Kicker Evan McPherson’s 48-yard field goal with 1:45 remaining in overtime gave the Bengals the victory, with Jaguars kicker Brandon McManus’ 40-yard field goal making it 31-31 with :28 remaining in the fourth quarter.
Backup quarterback C.J. Beathard, a seventh-year veteran and Lawrence’s backup all three of his Jaguars season, drove the Jaguars 53 yards to set up the game-tying field goal.
“The first instinct is it just sucks for Trevor,” said Beathard<\/a>, who completed nine of 10 passes for 63 yards in two series \u2013 one in the fourth quarter and one in overtime. “You see him on the ground hurting. That sucks. It kind of takes your breath away on the sideline, all the guys. You’ve got to drive and try to tie the game and win the game.
“You don’t have much time for the nerves to kick in. You just kind of have to go.”
The Jaguars received the overtime kick. Beathard’s 43-yard pass to wide receiver Calvin Ridley appeared to give the Jaguars first-and-goal at the two, but rookie right tackle Anton Harrison was called for holding. The Jaguars punted two plays later, with the Bengals then driving for the winning field goal.
“It sucks; Calvin makes a great play down there, and you’re excited and celebrating inside the five, then you turn around and see the flag,” Beathard said. “It is what it is.”
McPherson’s 54-yard field goal with 2:28 remaining gave the Bengals a 31-28 lead. That capped a seven-play 26-yard drive on the series after Lawrence’s injury, which came when he was sacked by defensive end Trey Hendrickson.
McManus’ missed 48-yard field goal one play after Lawrence’s injury would have given the Jaguars a three-point lead with just over five minutes remaining.
The Jaguars (8-4) are now one game ahead of the Houston Texans (7-5) and Indianapolis Colts (7-5) in the AFC South. The Bengals (6-6) snapped a three-game losing streak.
The loss also kept the Jaguars from moving into the AFC’s No. 1 seed.
Lawrence completed 22 of 29 passes for 258 yards and two touchdowns with no interceptions \u2013 throwing a second-quarter touchdown to tight end Evan Engram, throwing a third-quarter touchdown to rookie wide receiver Parker Washington and running for a third-quarter touchdown.
Bengals quarterback Jake Browning, making his second NFL start in place of injured starter Joe Burrow, completed 32 of 37 passes for 354 yards and one touchdown with no interceptions.
The Jaguars registered two sacks with one takeaway Monday, with outside linebackers Josh Allen and Travon Walker sharing one in the first quarter. Allen turned in one of the game’s key plays by intercepting a pass from Bengals wide receiver Tyler Boyd that set up a go-ahead score late in the third quarter.
The Jaguars now have 26 sacks and 21 takeaways for the season.
The Bengals outgained the Jaguars, 491-376, with Cincinnati rushing for 156 yards.
“We didn’t stop the run,” Pederson said. “That’s the strength of our defense is stopping the run. We just didn’t do that.”
Step-by-Step:<\/strong>
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Waiting all week for Monday Night Football \ud83d\udc06 Check out live photos of the the Bengals vs. Jaguars game in Duval \ud83c\udfc8
Senior writer John Oehser, senior correspondent Brian Sexton and team reporter Kainani Stevens offer quick thoughts on the Jaguars’ 34-31 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals in a 2023 Week 13 game at EverBank Stadium in Jacksonville Monday
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