Trevor Lawrence takes big hit near sideline, leading to scuffle just before halftime

The Tennessee Titans saw an opportunity to smack Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence just before halftime in Week 13, but it came with a cost. Benches cleared and at least a few shoves were spotted after Lawrence took a big hit with time running out in the second quarter.

The play in question came as time expired in the second quarter. Lawrence was trying to find a receiver down field, but started to drift toward the sideline. Just as he was about to go out of bounds, Lawrence tossed the ball away.

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But that didn’t save him. Lawrence was drilled on the play by Titans linebacker Arden Key.

A flag was thrown immediately. And though Lawrence appeared to be OK, signaling that the ball would be moved forward, his teammates took exception to the hit. A sideline scuffle broke out, with players at least shoving each other on the Jaguars’ sideline.

Cooler heads apparently prevailed, as no players were ejected from the contest. Key, however, was penalized and it proved to be costly.

After getting hit with a roughing the passer penalty, the Titans allowed the Jaguars to move into field-goal range with zero seconds left on the clock. Cam Little converted on the 45-yard attempt, giving the Jaguars an 18-3 lead entering halftime.

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While the penalty and field goal certainly didn’t help, the game was already decided. The Titans failed to put any more points on the board, losing the contest 25-3.

Lawrence, despite the hit, turned in a solid performance going 16 of 27 for 229 yards and two touchdowns in the win.

Other than that one play, the Jaguars weren’t pushed by the Titans at all, as Tennessee turned in another lackluster offensive performance. Quarterback Cam Ward completed 24 of 38 passes for just 141 yards in the loss.

With the win, the Jaguars move to 7-4 on the season, and find themselves within striking distance of the AFC South, especially after the Indianapolis Colts lost 20-16 to the division-rival Houston Texans in Week 13.