Very sad: He may not play again due to the...

Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence is OUT for Sunday’s game against the Carolina Panthers, per NFL Network insider Ian Rapoport. And that is bad news for the Chicago Bears.

Lawrence has a shoulder injury that will keep him out of the lineup for Sunday’s game against the Panthers. It will also mark the first game Lawrence has missed as a pro. I don’t imagine Jaguars fans feel good about this development. After all, they’re in the hunt for a postseason spot, a division title, and playoff seeding. But they’re not alone if they’re feeling angsty, because I know how much Bears fans won’t like reading the news either.

The Jaguars are facing the Panthers this week. And unless you’ve been following this NFL season while wearing earmuffs and horse-blinders, then you know that the Panthers’ first-round pick belongs to the Bears. That pick currently sits at first overall.

To say that pick is valuable and that this Jaguars-Panthers game is important would be quite the understatement. This game has all sorts of implications for multiple teams, players, coaches, and front offices. Fasten those seatbelts, friends.

The Jaguars might have bigger fish to fry down the line. But from a Bears fan’s perspective, this is a must-win game for Jacksonville.

There is a vocal contingent of Chicago Bears fans who have already begun making plans with that No. 1 pick. Most of those plans revolve around selecting a quarterback.

And I suppose that, statistically speaking, I can understand why there is a segment of fans that is OK with putting the cart ahead of the horse. Just look at these odds that were dropped earlier in the week:

I’m no analytics expert, but I’d bet that those odds don’t take into consideration the Jaguars. Sure, the odds probably still favor Jacksonville over Carolina.

And Chicago is still probably the overwhelming favorite to land the No. 1 pick in April’s draft. But this isn’t the matchup mismatch we thought it would be just weeks ago.

With Trevor Lawrence out of the picture, the fate of the No. 1 overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft now lies in the hands of his backup — Casey Jarrett Beathard. Gulp.