The streak is coming to an end.

Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence will miss the first NFL game of his career Sunday. The team ruled him out with a sprained AC joint in his shoulder.

C.J. Beathard is expected to start at QB for Jacksonville against the Carolina Panthers in Week 17.

Lawrence hurt his throwing shoulder in a 30-12 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers last week. His streak of 49 consecutive starts was tied with Patrick Mahomes for the second-longest active streak among NFL quarterbacks.

You’d have to go back to Lawrence’s high school days to find a game that the quarterback missed due to injury.

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And despite battling through a high ankle sprain and clearing concussion protocol before Week 16, Lawrence still suited up for the Jaguars against the Buccaneers on Sunday.

Trevor Lawrence injury MRI results

According to NFL Media’s Ian Rapoport, MRI results revealed that Lawrence has a sprained shoulder. Rapoport said the injury isn’t believed to be ‘major.’

Despite the Week 16 loss, Jacksonville’s 8-7 record is still good enough to lead the AFC South. The Indianapolis Colts and Houston Texans, who are getting back quarterback C.J. Stroud from a concussion, also have 8-7 records.

INDIANAPOLIS — Colts receiver Michael Pittman Jr. has cleared concussion protocol for a second week in a row.

This time, he hopes to actually play on Sunday.

The Colts’ leading wide receiver passed the five steps of the concussion protocol and is set to play against the Las Vegas Raiders. It’s the same place he was in a week ago ahead of a game against the Atlanta Falcons.

But he arrived that Saturday on the team plane to Atlanta and felt symptoms again from the vicious hit he took from Pittsburgh Steelers safety Damontae Kazee the week before, and the Colts held him out of a 29-10 defeat.

‘It just happened on Saturday, so I’m not sure if it was from the travel or not,’ Pittman said. ‘… It was super tough because I have my goals and our team goals. But it was actually my wife who pointed out that I hadn’t been acting normal yet. I just thought about it and I was like, ‘You know, you’re right.”

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Pittman, who leads the Colts with 99 catches and 1,062 receiving yards, will not have a status for this Sunday’s game against the Raiders when the team’s report is out Friday. The Colts will rule out running back Zack Moss, who was not able to work back from the forearm injury he suffered against the Steelers. Cornerback Kenny Moore II is questionable with a back injury after participating fully the rest of the week.

Indianapolis should also return right tackle Braden Smith, who has missed the past four games with a knee injury. He practiced in full for both sessions this week.

But Pittman’s return is the biggest one of them all. The passing game froze without him in Atlanta, as wide receivers combined for just 79 yards, with 38 coming from the outside receiver spots.

‘A lot of those key situations, those third downs when we’re saying, ‘We just need a play. We need a play,” wide receivers coach Reggie Wayne said. ‘Normally, we’d be like, ‘Pitt will get us a play some kind of way.’ And when you don’t have Pitt, you’re looking around like, ‘All right, which one of these guys can give us a play?”

The Colts are relatively healthy heading into a critical home game against a Raiders team that is also fighting for a playoff spot. At 8-7, the Colts have a lane to either a wildcard spot or the AFC South title, which is currently up for grabs between Indianapolis, Jacksonville and Houston.

That bill of health includes returning Smith, who has missed seven games this season with hip, wrist and knee issues. He’ll be in a critical spot of protecting against Maxx Crosby, who has 13.5 sacks this season.

‘It sucks having to watch. I’ve watched a lot of games this year from the sidelines. It’s been frustrating,’ Smith said. ‘… You’ve just got to never take anything for granted and savor every moment.’

Texas point guard Rori Harmon suffered a season-ending knee injury Wednesday night, the school announced on Friday.

In what was described as a non-contact injury, Harmon tore the anterior cruciate ligament in her right knee during the team’s shootaround ahead of the 97-52 win over Jackson State. A 5-foot-6 junior, Harmon is regarded as one of the best players in college basketball.

‘I’m grateful for the support of my teammates and coaching staff during this difficult time,’ Harmon said in a statement. ‘I also want to thank our medical staff at Texas for taking care of me. I’m heartbroken that I won’t be able to play with my teammates this season, but I’m going to support them and be the best teammate I can be. We have big goals for this season and those are not going to change. We are going to come into the gym every day and work hard to achieve those goals. We have the best fans and will play hard for them and for each other.’ 

Rori Harmon was one of the nation’s top players this season

This season, Harmon distributed 7.8 assists per game. That ranks second nationally behind Colorado State senior McKenna Hofschild’s average of 8.5. Harmon’s 6.64 assists-to-turnover ratio leads all Division I basketball players by a healthy margin.

Harmon had also developed into a scoring threat for the Longhorns. At 14.1 points per game, she is UT’s second-leading scorer. She shot 52.3% from the field over the 12 games that she appeared in after entering this year with a career shooting percentage of 38.2.

Additionally, Harmon is the Big 12’s reigning defensive player of the year.

‘We are heartbroken for Rori and our thoughts and prayers are with her and her family during this difficult time,’ Texas coach Vic Schaefer said. ‘She has worked so hard to become in my opinion the best guard in the country, an All American. It is difficult to see a young person go through this. It is truly devastating. My heart is crushed for her. But this I know about Rori, she will attack this like she does every practice, every game and she will be back to her old self in no time. I know she will continue to be a great teammate and she will help her team in the coming months of the season.’

It couldn’t have come at a worse time, as Big 12 play begins

The Longhorns will need to shift around their starting lineup with Harmon out. Texas fans can now expect to see either Madison Booker or Shaylee Gonzales running the offense.

Booker is listed as a 6-foot-1 forward on the Texas roster, but the versatile freshman has been also used as Harmon’s backup this season. Against Jackson State on Wednesday, Booker distributed nine assists while only committing one turnover.

‘(Booker is) probably the second-best passer on our team behind Rori,’ Schaefer told reporters in October.

A sixth-year senior guard, Gonzales was UT’s primary point guard while Harmon missed five games last season with a toe injury. Freshman Gisella Maul is another option at the position.

Ranked No. 7 in the USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll, Texas is 13-0 with an average margin of victory of 38.6 points. The Longhorns are scheduled to host No. 11 Baylor on Saturday afternoon.

LOS ANGELES — One of the more unique pregame rituals in college football is coming to the Rose Bowl on Monday.

About two hours before kickoff of the Michigan-Alabama game in the College Football Playoff semifinals, Michigan quarterback J.J. McCarthy will meditate – in full view of anyone in the stadium.

With his back resting against one of the goalposts, McCarthy sits cross-legged with his eyes closed while wearing headphones.

“It just starts off my with Pranayama,’ McCarthy told reporters Friday.

Pranayama? That, McCarthy explained, is, “breathing exercises and calming frequency in my headphones that just kind of dials in my physiology and kind of get my mind to a state where it’s kind of like white noise.’’

Before dealing with Alabama’s defense, which uses terms like “Joyless Murderball’’ and “DOA” (Dead On Arrival) to describe its style of play, McCarthy will try to quiet his mind. This involves the sound emitted through his headphones McCarthy said he can’t describe.

“You’ve just got to experience it for yourself,’ he said. “… It’s like – you can just look up 963 hertz frequency on YouTube and you’ll see it for yourself.’’

How did J.J. McCarthy’s meditation ritual begin?

McCarthy, a junior, said he started a similar mediation routine during his senior year at high school. But the ritual he uses now was inspired last year by Michigan’s punter, Brad Robbins, Cincinnati Bengals.

“He did it, and I was just like, hey, that’s pretty cool, pretty neat,’ McCarthy said, “and I could see the effect it could have on the world seeing people meditate, especially football players.’’

This season McCarthy helped lead the Wolverines to an 13-0 record and the No. 1 seed in the CFP while throwing for 2,630 yards and 19 touchdowns on 231-of-287 passing for a 74.2 completion rate with four interceptions. But it was clear Friday he is focused on more than his throwing mechanics and X’s and O’s before he hits the field.

A reporter asked about McCarthy about the quarterback’s mind and his effort to slow things down while processing situations on the field.

“Been really good, at an all-time high I would say,’’ he said. “Staying in the moment, focusing on getting better every day and inspiring my teammates to do the same.’

McCarthy’s clear mind

It’s fair to wonder if McCarthy’s meditation will make a difference in the CFP semifinals.

Michigan has lost in the semifinals each of the past two years during its only appearances in the CFP. Alabama, by contrast, is 6-1 in the CFP semifinals.

Then there’s McCarthy’s role.

A year ago, in a 51-45 loss to Texas Christian in the CFP semifinals, McCarthy threw for 343 yards and two touchdowns on 20-of-34 passing. But he also threw two interceptions, both of which were returned for touchdowns.

McCarthy suggested his uneven performance led to the pregame meditation after an offseason during which he focused on getting ‘locked in on all the little details and that doesn’t happen again.’’

“I feel like last year I got caught up in the noise and all the emotions of it,’’ he said, “and I’m just trying to stay simple, trying to focus on dominating meetings, dominating practice and just being around my guys and enjoying every moment because this only comes around once for us and just appreciating every moment.’’

Regardless of how McCarthy and Michigan fare against Alabama, the quarterback is apparently losing no sleep over the loss to TCU.

‘Really well, yeah, fantastic,” he said when asked about his sleep.

Al Michaels wants you to know something. He’s happy. He feels good and he’s not going anywhere, anytime soon.

Two weeks ago the New York Post first reported that NBC was removing Michaels from its NFL playoff coverage. In his first public comments since that happened, Michaels told USA TODAY Sports he plans to finish his Amazon contract, which has one more year remaining on it. Perhaps most importantly, Michaels made it clear how much he still loves doing his job.

‘I feel good,’ Michaels said. ‘I feel healthy. I feel fine. I told Amazon that I’d do three years and next year will be three, and I’m definitely doing it. We’ll see after that.’

‘I still love this job. I still get a charge out of going into a stadium and watching the best in the world do what they do. I’m still really happy so that’s the big thing.’

Michaels was named into an emeritus role at NBC after departing last year following the end of his contract. Michaels, 79, then joined Amazon Prime, but he was scheduled to return to NBC to do one of the network’s two Wild Card games. Then NBC decided Michaels wasn’t doing the playoff games. It was fairly disgraceful treatment of a broadcasting legend.

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Michaels declined to comment on NBC’s move.

NFL broadcast teams: Meet all the announcers for Week 17 of the 2023 regular season

‘Amazon has been really great to me and I’m appreciative that I’ve been a part of helping them grow their NFL presence,’ Michaels said.

Michaels has actually been a miracle for Amazon Prime. He meshes well with analyst Kirk Herbstreit who isn’t flashy but his straightforward bluntness with little bombast is refreshing.

‘Kirk has been wonderful to work with,’ said Michaels.

Herbstreit earlier this month defended Michaels from criticism that some of his broadcasts lacked energy.

‘He hears the noise. I don’t think he’s like, ‘I’ll show them. I’m going to really bring it this week.’ He’s definitely not doing that,’ Herbstreit said. ‘He has more of an ‘F you’ attitude about it than ‘I’m going to show them.’ He thinks it’s a bunch of bullsh–. I think it’s a bunch of bullsh–. And I think it’s just a narrative that social media’s kind of running with.’

The broadcast itself makes good use of technological gizmos like the way during Thursday night’s game between the Browns and Jets it highlighted potential blitzing players pre-snap.

Also, Michaels’ trademark cornball humor is still intact. During Thursday night’s game, and after hearing fans making banging noises, Michaels said: ‘ “Somebody’s pounding on that trash can. The Astros must be in town.”

He was of course referring to the Houston Astros’ sign-stealing enterprise from their 2017 season.

After a few seconds, Michaels added: ‘I’m sorry. Don’t rip me.’

I won’t. It was funny.

Overall, Amazon’s broadcast is smart and fun. In fact, it might be the best NFL broadcast going. A big reason why is Michaels.

I’ve been somewhat alone with this but as I’ve stated before, Michaels is still the best at what he does. This is my hill. I will be deceased on it.

One of the more important things to me about Michaels was hearing him talk about happiness. Sometimes we see broadcasters the way we see players. They are just there. We get lost in their voices or the errors they make. We judge their knowledge and energy. We don’t care how they feel.

But I actually do care what’s happening with Michaels. He’s been a credit to the broadcasting profession. He’s sharp at near 80. I’m not trying to make Michaels out to be like he stormed Normandy but in the same way Michaels said he likes to watch the best, so do broadcast nerds like me. Many of us still want to see Michaels do his job. Because, well, he’s still the best.

Michaels is still fighting the great fight and doing it at a high level.

So what’s next for Michaels?

‘I’m going to keep doing the job I love,’ he said.

Good.

Gil de Ferran, the 2003 Indianapolis 500 champion, has died. McLaren’s Formula One team, where the racing legend was presently working in an advisory role, confirmed the news.

De Ferran was 56. The French-born Brazilian won the 2000 and 2001 Championship Auto Racing Teams (CART) titles, as well as the 1992 British Formula Three championship. After finishing runner-up to his Penske teammate and fellow countryman Helio Castroneves in the 2001 Indianapolis 500, de Ferran hoisted the Borg-Warner Trophy in 2003 in what would be his final start in the Greatest Spectacle in Racing.

‘Gil defined class as a driver and as a gentleman. As an IndyCar champion and an Indianapolis 500 winner, Gil accomplished so much during his career, both on and off the track,’ Roger Penske said in a statement Friday night. “Gil was beloved by so many. He was a great friend to the Team Penske and IndyCar family, as well as the entire international motorsports community. Gil’s passing is a terrible loss, and he will be deeply missed.”

In 2000 while racing at the California Speedway, de Ferran set both the track record and closed course record for fastest lap at 241.428 mph. It marked the fastest closed-circuit qualifying lap speed ever recorded.

De Ferran opted to retire from the pinnacle of American open-wheel racing at just 35 years old at the end of the 2003 Indy Racing League season, a campaign in which he won the finale at Texas Motor Speedway and took runner-up in the championship to Scott Dixon.

The French-born Brazilian would return to the cockpit in 2008 for a pair of campaigns in the American Le Mans series while racing for his eponymous de Ferran Motorsports team. He and teammate Simon Pagenaud would go on to win five of 10 races in 2009 and take runner-up in the championship.

Out of the cockpit, de Ferran worked as the sporting director for BAR-Honda in F1 from 2005-07 before launching his ALMS team as a driver-owner. After retiring from the cockpit for a final time, he took de Ferran Motorsport to IndyCar, merging with Luczo Dragon Racing (a team launched by Roger Penske’s son Jay Penske and Steve Luczo) for the start of the 2010 campaign. De Ferran Dragon Racing would run a full-season entry for Brazilian Raphael Matos, along with a couple races for Davey Hamilton. Matos finished 14th in points in a season that began with a fourth-place finish in Sao Paulo.

The team rebranded in 2012 as Dragon Racing after a split with de Ferran’s program.

Since, the racing legend had served as McLaren F1’s sporting director from 2018-21 and had since returned earlier this year as an advisor.

On Friday night, the team said it was ‘shocked and deeply saddened’ to learn of de Ferran’s death.

‘We send our deepest condolences to Gil de Ferran’s family, friends and loved ones,’ McLaren Racing stated on X. ‘Gil was an important and integral part of our Racing team. He was a formidable force on and off track and made a lasting impact on everyone racing and working alongside him. He will be missed by everyone at McLaren Racing.’

De Ferran is survived by his wife, Angela, and the pair’s children, Anna and Luke.