Trevor Lawrence addresses controversy around not getting carted off after injury vs Bengals

Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence opened up on the controversy about him not getting carted off during their Monday night overtime loss to the Cincinnati Bengals.

Lawrence suffered a high right ankle sprain late in the fourth quarter after left tackle Walker Little was pushed backward and stepped on Lawrence's ankle.

After the injury, he tried to get up and then went down to his knees and slammed his helmet in frustration. Lawrence ended up being assisted off the field by trainers but walked into the tunnel.

Immediately, many fans wondered why Lawrence wasn't carted to the locker room, which he says was a dumb decision on his part.

“I was gonna get a cart and then I'm standing there and you know, I'm already on the sideline at that point, the tunnel is right there. I just wanted to get off the field, get out of there. I didn't know what was going on with my ankle. I felt like I could get off, I was like, 'Just don't bring it out', I’m going in and then once I got in there, I'm like, 'This is a pretty long walk you know', but I was already there.

"And they asked again if I wanted a cart, but now we're gonna make it the whole way there. Didn't know there were cameras in the tunnel, you know? So that's kind of there everywhere. Exactly. So but no, of course we have carts and we have everything we need and I was the one that didn't choose to take one."

Ultimately, the good news for Jaguars fans is the fact that Lawrence didn't suffer any further damage.

Will Trevor Lawrence play in Week 14?

Although Trevor Lawrence suffered a high ankle sprain, the Jacksonville Jaguars aren't ruling out the possibility of the quarterback starting on Sunday.

"I'm not going to put that timetable on Trevor," Doug Pederson said on Tuesday afternoon. "I'm not going to put him in a box like that, but we'll see how he is in a couple of days."

Pederson also says surgery isn't likely needed, despite Kenny Pickett opting for surgery to accelerate the healing process.

"I have not had discussions with the docs about that," Pederson said. "I don't think [surgery] is a necessary means at this point. Because of where it is in the ankle, it's not necessarily something that surgery would be warranted at this time."

The Jaguars are set to go on the road to play the Cleveland Browns on Sunday at 1 p.m. ET. If Lawrence can't play on Sunday, C.J. Beathard will be the starting quarterback for Jacksonville.