Trevor Lawrence injury update surely seals Doug Pederson’s fate with Jaguars

The Jacksonville Jaguars were dealt a brutal blow on Sunday when Trevor Lawrence, in his first game back from injury, was hit while sliding by Houston Texans linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair. The blatantly dirty tackle became an instant topic of conversation as folks debated the extent to which Al-Shaair would or should be punished.

In the end, a three-game suspension was handed down to Al-Shaair, but that won't provide much solace to Lawrence or the Jags fandom. The former No. 1 overall pick spent a long time immobile on the field after the hit and was immediately ruled out with a concussion upon further evaluation.

Now, he's slated to miss the next four weeks — or, essentially, the remainder of the NFL regular season.

An IR stint comes with a mandatory four-week absence, and while Lawrence could in theory return for the Jaguars' Week 18 bout with the Indianapolis Colts, it's hard to imagine that game holding much meaning for Jacksonville. With their season in the toilet already, the Jags' top priority is maintaining the health of their franchise quarterback. We shouldn't see Lawrence until next season.

That thrusts Mac Jones back into the starting gig and it puts head coach Doug Pederson in an unenviable position with his team 2-10 on the season.

Trevor Lawrence's IR stint probably spells the end of Doug Pederson's Jaguars tenure

It has been a season from hell for Doug Pederson and the entire Jaguars team. On the surface, Pederson is an extremely accomplished head coach with tons of valuable experience. He won the Super Bowl, after all, and did so with Nick Foles under center. That has to count for something when debating the best active head coaches.

After flaming out in Philly, however, Pederson has been unable to deliver the expected results in Jacksonville. There were moments of optimism — moments where it felt like the Jags might take the next step — but rather than catapulting into the thick of the playoffs after Lawrence's historic contract extension, the bottom fell out on the entire Jags roster.

Not only has Lawrence dealt with two serious injuries now, but the Jags are the worst defense in the NFL in terms of yards allowed. If you want to pin that on DC Ryan Nielsen, fine — Pederson is an offensive guy — but the Jags are a bottom-10 offense, too. There is just nothing positive happening with this team week-to-week. All light is snuffed out at the source, driven deep into the earth by an overwhelming complacency and disconnectedness that has defined the Jags' performance the entire season.

Maybe something changes with a healthier Lawrence. Obviously, Pederson would be in a better position with a better front office. He can't be held responsible for Jacksonville's egregious personnel shortcomings. But, when push comes to shove, you just can't underperform to the extent that Pederson's Jags have and expect the head coach to keep his job.

This Lawrence IR stint is the nail in the coffin. Again, not Pederson's fault, but rather than potentially stringing together a few wins to salvage momentum and raise spirits, a la Matt Eberflus in Chicago at the end of last season, Pederson will ride out his final days with Mac Jones as the Jaguars' starting quarterback. There's no coming back from that. We know these next few weeks will be miserable for Jags fans and for ownership. Change is on the horizon.