For the second year in a row, the Jacksonville Jaguars have lost one of the souls of their offense and locker room.

Wide receiver Christian Kirk was injured in the fourth quarter of Sunday’s 30-27 loss to the Green Bay Packers; The official diagnosis was a broken collarbone, which would place Kirk on injured reserve for the remainder of the season.

This is the second time in two seasons that Kirk has been lost to a season-ending injury, and the second time the Jaguars have been punched in the gut as a result.

Simply put, the Jaguars are losing more than starting slot receivers. These losing one of the most respected players in the entire organization. One of its fiercest and most reliable leaders.

“He’s one of the best teammates I’ve ever had, one of the best teammates I’ve ever been around, and one of the smartest players I’ve ever been around,” Jaguars tight end Evan Engram said in the locker room after the loss.

“He is one of the best leaders I have ever been around. And today you saw him in pieces, he was rolling, he was going. It is a very unfortunate incident. God does not make mistakes, there is a plan. His will is better.” “It will be better than any of us could have imagined.”

So where do the Jaguars go from here?

There is no easy answer. Kirk is one of the most reliable pieces of the passing game and has more experience and chemistry with Trevor Lawrence than any pass catcher not named Engram. His absence leaves a void on offense, especially after some of the big catches he made downfield this year.

The player expected to step up in Kirk’s absence is second-year wide receiver Parker Washington, who has developed behind Kirk over the past two seasons. Washington was one of the most improved players this summer and was a real standout in training camp and did a good job of producing when his number was called in limited-overs offenses.

The Jaguars can do what they did against the Packers; So they could deploy Engram in more areas and bring Brenton Strange onto the field as a tight end. Brian Thomas Jr. and Gabe Davis’ health updates will also be a critical part of the equation.

No matter what the Jaguars do on the field, the void left by Kirk’s injury will be evident. The question that determines the second half of the season may be whether they can continue without him.

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