Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence was carted off the field in the second quarter of Sunday’s matchup against the Houston Texans after linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair delivered a late, hard hit while Lawrence was sliding. The Jaguars later ruled Lawrence out of the game with a concussion.
After the hit, Jaguars tight end Evan Engram ran to Al-Shaair and shoved him while Lawrence remained on the ground. A scuffle between Jaguars and Texans players ensued while medical personnel attended Lawrence.
Officials ejected Al-Shaair and Jaguars cornerback Jarrian Jones from the game for unnecessary roughness and Engram received a 15-yard penalty for unnecessary roughness. Coaches and officials had to escort Al-Shaair off the field because he continued arguing with Jaguars players, notably offensive lineman Brandon Scherff.
As Al-Shaair walked off the field, he exchanged words with Jaguars fans, who were seen throwing objects and trash at the 27-year-old linebacker.
Here is what Texans QB CJ Stroud had to say about Azeez Al-Shaair’s hit on Jaguars QB Trevor Lawrence. pic.twitter.com/JxsjNPoz9w
— FOX Sports: NFL (@NFLonFOX) December 1, 2024
“(That hit) is not representative of us,” Texans coach DeMeco Ryans told Fox Sports at halftime.
When asked for clarification on Al-Shaair and Jones’ ejections, referee Land Clark said Al-Shaair’s was for an illegal hit on Lawrence and Jones’ because he came off the bench and threw a punch at a player. Clark said Engram wasn’t ejected because his shove “didn’t warrant a disqualification, but it was unnecessary roughness.”
Engram said he pushed Al-Shaair because his instinct took over after he saw the hit on Lawrence and he wanted to stand up for the quarterback.
“It was a dirty hit,” Engram said. “Those hits are always in question. … I saw (Lawrence) sliding and then I saw the hit. Honestly, (instinct) took over. I just knew it was wrong. It was just a dirty play and you stick up for your guys.”
Trevor Lawrence slides ahead of Azeez Al-Shaair during the Jaguars-Texans matchup in Week 13. (Nathan Ray Seebeck / Imagn Images)
Texans quarterback CJ Stroud said, “It was tough, man, to see Trev go out like that,” but defended Al-Shaair. “Azeez, I don’t think that’s his intent. … I know he didn’t intend to do that. He’s gotta be more careful.”
Sunday marked Lawrence’s first game back since Week 9 as he recovered from a shoulder injury. Before sustaining the concussion, Lawrence went 4-of-10 for 41 passing yards with an interception. Backup QB Mac Jones took Lawrence’s place and finished 20-of-32 for 235 yards and two touchdowns.
Lawrence tweeted Sunday night thanking fans for their support.
“I’m home and feeling better. Means a lot, thank you all,” Lawrence said.
Thank you to everyone who has reached out / been praying for me. I’m home and feeling better. Means a lot, thank you all🙌🏼
— Trevor Lawrence (@Trevorlawrencee) December 2, 2024
The Texans (8-5) beat the Jaguars (2-10) 23-20. After the game, Lawrence walked out of the locker room and toward the players’ exit with his wife, Marissa.
Al-Shaair’s ejection Sunday comes less than three months after the NFL fined him $11,817 for unnecessary roughness against the Chicago Bears. In the Week 2 meeting, Al-Shaair hit Caleb Williams near the sideline while the Bears quarterback ran out of bounds. Following the fight that ensued from that play, Al-Shaair threw a punch.
The NFL also penalized and later fined Al-Shaair $11,255 for a late hit on Titans Tennessee running back Tony Pollard last week, who Al-Shaair hit out of bounds.
Lawrence, 25, is in his fourth season with Jacksonville after being selected as the No. 1 pick in 2021. Through the Jaguars’ first nine games, Lawrence completed 61.3 percent of his passes for 2,004 yards and 11 touchdowns against six interceptions. In each of his first three seasons, Lawrence played at least 16 games.
(Photo: Mike Carlson / Getty Images)