Jacksonville Jaguars wide receiver Christian Kirk left his team’s Monday night overtime loss to the Cincinnati Bengals due to a core muscle injury, and on Tuesday, head coach Doug Pederson revealed some information on the issue.
When discussing Kirk to reporters on Tuesday, Pederson said that the wide out would miss some time with the injury and that it would require surgery, via Josh Alper of Pro Football Talk.
Pederson did not specify exactly how much time Kirk would miss, but the fact that he will need surgery to repair the issue indicates that he may be sidelined for extended time.
Kirk logged one catch for 26 yards against the Bengals.
This is a major loss for the Jaguars, as Kirk is the club’s leading receiver this season. In 12 games, he has hauled in 57 receptions for 787 yards and three touchdowns.
Kirk, who played his collegiate football at Texas A&M, was originally selected by the Arizona Cardinals in the second round of the 2018 NFL Draft.
He spent the first four seasons of his career with the Cardinals, with his best campaign coming in 2021 when he caught 77 passes for 982 yards and five scores.
The 27-year-old then went on to sign with Jacksonville in March 2022 and enjoyed his most productive season to date in his debut year with the Jags, snaring 84 balls for 1,108 yards while reaching the end zone eight times.
The Jaguars are now 8-4 on the season and hold a one-game lead over both the Indianapolis Colts and the Houston Texans for first place in the AFC South.
Things won’t get much easier for Jacksonville over the next couple of weeks, as it will take on two of the NFL’s best defenses in the Cleveland Browns and Baltimore Ravens.
If the Jags can’t just get through those next two games, they have a relatively easy schedule featuring matchups with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Carolina Panthers and Tennessee Titans the rest of the way.
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