Is Trevor Lawrence playing this week? Exploring Jaguars QB's status for Week 14

Trevor Lawrence has garnered national attention over the past four days. The Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback was on the receiving end of a vicious hit from Houston Texans linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair. The hit concussed the quarterback, and Al-Shaair was given a three-game suspension.

When an NFL player suffers a concussion, he needs to go through a five-step protocol in order to play again, no matter how long it takes for him to clear. But in Lawrence's case, he will officially not dress for Week 14. And this has nothing to do with the concussion protocol.

On Wednesday, the Jaguars placed the quarterback on injured reserve, which means that he'll be out for, at least, the next four weeks. However, the team also decided for him to go for left shoulder surgery, ending any possibility of Lawrence returning to play in the final weeks of the 2024 season.

He was already dealing with the shoulder injury before the concussion, and the head injury just made it more obvious for Jacksonville to shut him down for the remainder of the season. With a 2-10 record, the Jaguars are already eliminated from playoff contention. There was no point in returning to play in Week 18.

Azeez Al-Shaair's suspension updated after hit on Trevor Lawrence

The appeal of Azeez Al-Shaair's suspension was held on Wednesday, but appeals officer Ramon Foster decided to keep the linebacker out of the field for the next three games.

The Houston Texans still have five games to go, so Al-Shaair will return in Week 17. He signed with the team in 2024 after spending the 2023 season with the Tennesee Titans, but his relationship with head coach DeMeco Ryans started when the pair worked together in 2022 with the San Francisco 49ers.

On Twitter, the linebacker apologized to the quarterback for the hit, stating that "he would never want to see a player hurt because of a hit I put on them, especially one that's deemed late or unnecessary".

For Lawrence, a fresh start in the 2025 season should come with a new head coach. Doug Pederson is expected to be fired from the Jaguars after the season.