JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- It does not appear that Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence will play against the Vikings on Sunday because of his left shoulder injury, coach Doug Pederson said Friday morning.

"It is trending toward [Lawrence] not playing," Pederson said.

Mac Jones, whom the Jaguars acquired via trade in March, will start against the Vikings if Lawrence is out. C.J. Beathard, whom the Jaguars signed off the Miami Dolphins' practice squad Wednesday, would be Jones' backup.

This would be just the second game that Lawrence has missed since the Jaguars drafted him first overall in 2021. He did not play against the Carolina Panthers in Week 17 last season because of an injury to his right, throwing shoulder.

Lawrence was injured in the first half of Sunday's 28-23 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles when he was hit while diving headfirst on a run. He didn't miss a snap against the Eagles and had the Jaguars in position to score a go-ahead touchdown but was intercepted by linebacker Nakobe Dean in the end zone with 1:40 remaining.

Lawrence was limited in practice all week.

On his weekly radio show Thursday, Pederson hinted that Lawrence wasn't likely to play against the Vikings because of what happened last season when the quarterback battled through a concussion and ankle and shoulder injuries over the final six games and wasn't able to fully practice.

"What I learned last year is if we know early in the week that he's not going to play, don't play him," Pederson said. "Let him get healthy, let him heal because he can't miss those reps in practice. He's got to stay on track. He can't miss necessarily a Wednesday, Thursday, maybe even a Friday, a limited Friday, and expect from the quarterback position to play."

Lawrence has thrown for 2,004 yards with 11 touchdowns and six interceptions this season. He has completed 61.3% of his passes, which is the second-lowest completion percentage of his career.

He has thrown for 13,774 yards with 69 touchdowns and 45 interceptions in 59 games with the Jaguars. He leads the NFL in total turnovers since he entered the league (67), though he has been significantly better this season with only seven.

This would be Jones' first start since Week 12 of 2023, when he completed 12 of 21 passes for 89 yards with two interceptions in the New England Patriots' 10-7 loss to the New York Giants. He was benched for the Patriots' final six games, and they sent him to Jacksonville for a sixth-round pick in the 2024 draft.

Jones has appeared in two games this season, completing 6 of 9 passes for 28 yards and getting sacked twice.

The Patriots drafted Jones 15th in 2021 -- when Lawrence was the first pick -- and he has completed 66.1% of his passes for 8,946 yards with 46 touchdowns and 36 interceptions in 42 starts. He had an 18-24 record in New England and led the team to the playoffs, and in his rookie season he made the Pro Bowl.

PHILADELPHIA -- Eagles coach Nick Sirianni said quarterback Jalen Hurts was limited in practice earlier this week because he was "dealing with the ankle" -- which was different than what was listed on the injury report.

Hurts was listed Wednesday with a "rest" designation. He did not participate in individual drills during the portion of practice open to media, instead taking the role of spectator as Kenny Pickett and Tanner McKee went through drills.

According to a league source, Hurts has been dealing with a mild ankle issue for a couple weeks.

A separate league source described it as "lower leg soreness" and that his limited practice Wednesday was for load management purposes, with the Eagles playing two games in a span of five days against the Dallas Cowboys and Washington Commanders. The source added that Hurts was held back from dropping and planting during the individual periods but did throw the football later Wednesday during team walk-through.

Hurts was listed as a full participant Thursday and is expected to carry the same designation on Friday, with all signs pointing to him playing Sunday in Dallas.

When asked about his limited participation Wednesday, Hurts said it was due to rest, adding that "I just do what I'm told" when questioned about how the plan comes together to orchestrate a rest day.

IN SEPTEMBER 2023, Colorado football coach Deion Sanders could have been licking his wounds in the immediate aftermath of a 42-6 thrashing at the hands of the Oregon Ducks.

Instead, he sat down in the postgame news conference at Autzen Stadium completely unbothered.

"One thing I can say honestly and candidly: You better get me right now," Sanders said. "This is the worst we're going to be. You better get me right now."

Despite the Buffaloes' 3-0 start, this was an admission from Sanders. He knew his team wasn't ready to compete with the better teams in college football.

But it was also a warning.

"I know I got on shades," he said. "But I can see the future, and it looks real good."

As the season wore on and Colorado limped to a last-place finish in the Pac-12, it was fair to question how realistic Sanders' early-season proclamation was. The offensive line couldn't keep his son, quarterback Shedeur Sanders, upright, and the defense allowed the third-most points among all Power 5 teams.

An offseason of staff changes and roster turnover didn't do much to positively impact external expectations as the Buffaloes were projected to come in 11th place in the official preseason Big 12 media poll.

But on the same day the poll was released, Sanders sat with ESPN and snickered at that possibility.

"I'd be an idiot to sit over here and not tell you we plan on winning," he said. "I don't know who sits down and says they don't plan on winning. You got to be an idiot to say that. We definitely plan on winning."

Ahead of Saturday's trip to Texas Tech, Sanders' plan has come to fruition, and his spiel in Eugene from last season comes off almost prophetic.

With an improved offensive line and a reliable defense, the Buffs are not only much improved from a year ago, they're in the thick of the race for the Big 12 title and the College Football Playoff berth that would come with it.

WHEN SANDERS HIRED Robert Livingston to be the defensive coordinator in February, it was a bit of an unorthodox move.

Though Livingston had spent the past 12 years with the Cincinnati Bengals -- the past eight coaching the secondary -- he had never called plays before. And here he was joining a staff that was otherwise complete and just happened to have two of the best defensive players in the history of the sport -- Sanders and Warren Sapp -- in the building.

With all the attention on Colorado, this would be a new level of pressure, and early in the second quarter of Colorado's opener against FCS North Dakota State, Livingston was already feeling it.

"I thought I might get tar and feathered," Livingston said. "It was 17-14, North Dakota State, and I'm like, 'Oh, s---.'"

The defense settled down, and Colorado won 31-26, but it wasn't exactly the statement victory Colorado wanted, as the same flaws from last season were on display. In the first half against Nebraska the next week, it was more of the same as the Buffs trailed 28-0 at halftime.

Here we go again.

Since then, however, Colorado has been a revelation, winning five of six -- narrowly losing to No. 19 Kansas State -- with the defensive improvement serving as the catalyst.

After allowing 34.8 points per game last year, that number has dropped to 22.0 this year.

Livingston had several conversations with Sanders throughout the interview process, including calls, video conferences with the staff and an in-person visit. He wasn't exactly targeting a return to the college game after last serving as a quality control coach at Vanderbilt in 2011, but it quickly became clear Sanders was the right person, Boulder was the right place, and the opportunity to serve as the defensive coordinator was too good to pass up.

"I fell in love with the place," Livingston said. "It was a no-brainer for me."

Livingston said he adopted the philosophy Arizona Cardinals head coach Jonathan Gannon took when he was hired as the defensive coordinator with the Philadelphia Eagles in 2021. He wasn't coming in set on running a specific scheme. First, he wanted to understand the roster and then build a style to play to the strengths.

"It wasn't going to be, 'Hey, we got to do it this way, because this is the way I've always done it,'" Livingston said. "That's lazy. That has always been a pet peeve of mine.

"You have to be able to ask the hard questions of, 'Why are we doing it this way? Why are we teaching it this way? Why are we playing this coverage or this blitz?' You have to be able to highlight the guys you want to highlight."

For the Buffs, that starts with Travis Hunter.

His two-way prowess makes him one of the favorites for the Heisman Trophy, but it was at cornerback where he first made his mark on college football. He leads the team in interceptions (2) and pass breakups (7), and he is one of five players to have forced a fumble.

"Travis is a unicorn," Livingston said. "His feel for the game is very unique. He can kind of sense the problems coming two series away. He's obviously one of the best players, if not the best player, in the country."

Livingston said the ability of Hunter and DJ McKinney to hold up in man coverage has been a key for the defense's pass rush.

"We've put those corners in some tough spots," Livingston said. "It's a testament to them that they can win their one-on-one matchups, because when the rush and coverage aren't working together, then explosive plays happen."

While coverage and pass rush stats have a chicken-or-egg dynamic to them, it's worth noting Colorado ranks No. 2 in the Big 12 in sacks (22), No. 1 in QB pressures per game (14.88) and No. 3 in pass breakups per game (4). Its tackling percentage (85.4%) is up five percentage points from a year ago. Everything has trended better as the season has progressed.

NO FBS QUARTERBACK was sacked more than Shedeur Sanders a year ago. He was dropped 52 times in 11 games, eventually sitting out the final game of the season with an injury after taking a beating over the previous three months.

The pass protection was historically bad, and the rushing offense might have been worse. Colorado averaged just 2.21 yards per carry -- the fourth-worst mark by a Power 5 team over the previous decade -- which led to the demotion of offensive coordinator Sean Lewis, who was later hired as the head coach at San Diego State.

It was obvious to anyone who watched that an overhaul was required up front, and Coach Prime made it clear they would aggressively pursue linemen who could play right away in 2024. But as the season ended and that process played out, he also needed to find a new offensive line coach with Bill O'Boyle moving on with Lewis.

His preference for coaches with a professional pedigree led him to Norman, Oklahoma, where Phil Loadholt, a 7-year NFL veteran, was at his alma mater working as an offensive analyst.

"We got introduced through a mutual friend, and he asked if I was down to interview through Zoom," Loadholt told ESPN. "But he was down at his place in Texas, so I told him I'd like to meet with him face-to-face."

Coach Prime agreed, so Loadholt made the 2-hour drive across state lines. They met for a couple hours, and it was a natural fit from the start.

With Pat Shurmur having been named the offensive coordinator, Loadholt came in with a strong understanding of the offense. The two briefly crossed paths with the Minnesota Vikings in 2015 -- they spent OTAs together prior to Loadholt's retirement that summer -- but more importantly, they came from similar schools of offense.

"He comes from the same tree of a lot of guys I played for," Loadholt said. "I feel like I have a great understanding of what he wants and how he wants to do it. There's familiarity with that NFL style, and that made the transition a lot smoother for me, because even though we weren't together long, we still speak the same language when it comes to offense."

When Loadholt signed on, Colorado was all-in on rebuilding its offensive line through the portal. The prevailing wisdom was that was where they would find players ready to play from Day 1, and by the time the season opened, Colorado added 12 new offensive linemen, including nine transfers.

Through eight games, the results have been mixed. Shedeur Sanders has been sacked 25 times -- only four FBS players have been sacked more -- but the protection has improved throughout the year.

And for all the time spent adding players through the portal, those players haven't been the ones to make the biggest impact.

Of the players on the five-man line combination the Buffaloes have used the most this season, only Phillip Houston arrived via the transfer portal -- from Florida International Panthers -- in the offseason.

Three others -- RG Kareem Harden, LG Tyler Brown and C Hank Zilinskas -- were on Colorado's roster last season, while perhaps the best is five-star true freshman left tackle Jordan Seaton. UTEP transfer Mayers and Indiana transfer Kahlil Benson have also seen extensive playing time as Loadholt has searched for the best combination, rotating as many as eight players in a game. In the last game against Cincinnati, seven offensive linemen played at least 31 snaps.

Against Arizona, eight linemen played at least 19 snaps.

More than anything, Loadholt said, the first eight games have been a quasi trust-building exercise. He needed to learn what players he could trust, and they needed to build trust with each other and with their quarterback.

"I played with a Heisman Trophy quarterback [Sam Bradford at Oklahoma in 2008] and [Shedeur] is one of those types of guys," Loadholt said. "If we can protect him and that trust is there, he'll make us right."

Before coming to Colorado, Loadholt met Seaton on a visit to Oklahoma. What stood out then has remained true this year.

"It was his attention to detail and the way he went about his business," Loadholt said. "And then it shows up in our room, too. He's the first guy to answer a question. He asks questions when he wants. He's not scared to ask questions, he's the first guy to answer you, he puts in the work outside of here, which has obviously been helping him out.

"He's definitely wise beyond his years. He's an intelligent young man who works his ass off, and I'm proud of him for how he's been playing so far."

Since allowing two sacks against Nebraska in Week 2, Seaton has allowed just one sack and two QB hits, according to Pro Football Focus.

The running game has been a work in progress, too. Only Florida State (2.67) is averaging fewer yards per carry than Colorado (2.77) among Power 4 teams, but the Buffaloes have more 100-yard rushing games over the past four games (3) than they did last season (2).

The gains are marginal, but they've made a difference, and that incremental improvement combined with the preexisting star power has legitimized the Buffs in a way that cannot be disputed.

Colorado is no longer a team that can be accused of "fighting for clicks."

New Orleans Pelicans guard Jordan Hawkins will be sidelined one to two weeks with a low back strain, the team said Friday.

The second-year player is averaging 16.3 points and 4.5 rebounds in eight games (three starts) this season.

Hawkins, 22, did not take the court for Monday's 118-100 loss to the Portland Trail Blazers and played a season-low 18:30 in Wednesday's 131-122 loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers.

He averaged 7.8 points in 67 games last season as a rookie after being selected with the 14th pick in the 2023 NBA draft out of UConn.

NEW YORK -- Mets outfielder Tyrone Taylor had a pair of operations and should be ready for spring training in mid-February.

New York said Friday that Taylor had an umbilical hernia repair Oct. 30 in Phoenix with Dr. Venkata Evani and a right elbow loose body removal Thursday in New York with Dr. James Carr. The Mets said recovery time is about two months.

Taylor, who turns 31 in January, hit .248 with seven homers, 35 RBIs and 11 stolen bases over 130 games in his first season with the Mets, who acquired him from Milwaukee last December along with right-hander Adrian Houser for minor league right-hander Coleman Crow.

Taylor had a $2,025,000 salary this year and is eligible for arbitration.

Aaron Boone will return as manager of the New York Yankees next season after the team exercised its 2025 club option.

Boone, who led the Yankees to their first World Series appearance since 2009, will return for his 8th season, the team announced Friday.

"Aaron is a steadying presence in our clubhouse and possesses a profound ability to connect with and foster relationships with his players," general manager Brian Cashman said in a team statement. "Consistently exhibiting these skills in such a demanding and pressurized market is what makes him one of the game's finest managers. Our work is clearly not done, but as we pursue the ultimate prize in 2025, I am excited to have Aaron back to lead our team."

Boone expressed his appreciation for team's confidence in him, and the "privilege" of leading the Yankees for another season.

"I am grateful for the trust placed in me to lead this team. It's a responsibility - and an opportunity - that I will never take lightly," Boone said in the statement. "It's a great privilege to show up for work every day and be surrounded by so many determined and talented players, coaches and staff members. Starting with Steinbrenner family, there is a collective commitment to excellence within this organization that is embedded in all that we do. I'm already looking forward to reporting for spring training in Tampa and working tirelessly to return the Yankees to the postseason to compete for a World Championship."

Boone, whose club was defeated by the Dodgers in five games in the World Series, is just the third manager in franchise history with postseason berths in six of his first seven years after Casey Stengel and Joe Torre. He's 603-429 at the Yankees' helm with three American League East titles and one pennant during his tenure in the Bronx.

New York said Boone will discuss the decision during a news conference on Monday.

Cashman, speaking at the league's GM meetings earlier this week, said the deadline to exercise the option was 10 days after the conclusion of the World Series, and left open the possibility of reaching a new deal with Boone going forward.

Information from the Associated Press was used in this report.