Jacksonville crushed AFC South rival Houston to open the season on Sunday, but if the Jaguars are going to continue to thrive in 2017, they’ll have to do it without their top wide receiver. The team confirmed Monday that Allen Robinson suffered a torn ACL in his left knee Sunday and will miss the remainder of the season, per the Associated Press.
This seemed like the probable outcome for Robinson after he went down with a non-contact injury in the first quarter against the Texans and was quickly ruled out for the rest of the game. While the Robinson-less Jaguars still managed to coast to a 29-7 victory, having to make do without him for the remainder of the year will be a tall order.
Robinson posted at least 73 catches, 151 targets, 883 yards and six touchdowns in each of the previous two years, for one, and the Jags’ receiving corps already took a hit earlier this month when they placed rookie fourth-round pick Dede Westbrook on injured reserve. They’re now down to Marqise Lee and Allen Hurns, the latter of whom has fallen out of favor since last season, as their top options in a passing game that doesn’t inspire much confidence with Blake Bortles at the helm.
The 24-year-old Robinson, meanwhile, may have played his final game as a member of the Jaguars. The 2014 second-round pick is scheduled to hit free agency after the season and could’ve made a case for a monster contract with another big year. Instead, thanks to his knee injury, he’ll enter the offseason in a less-than-ideal position.