Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence seems to be fine after leaving Sunday’s 23-20 loss against the Houston Texans in the second quarter.
Lawrence, who was knocked out by Texans linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair after trying to slide for a first down, tweeted late Sunday evening that he was fine after being carted off.
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
After the hit, a brawl ensued between Texans and Jaguars players. Tight end Evan Engram shoved Al-Shaair to the grass and the two sides went back and forth toward the Jaguars’ sideline.
The fight got so bad that Texans head coach DeMeco Ryans had to come on the field to grab Al-Shaair and try to calm the sixth-year veteran.
That’s not what we’re coaching,” Ryans said postgame. “We want to be smart in everything we do and not hurt the team, (not) get a penalty there. We just have to be smarter when the quarterback is going down.”
Al-Shaair was ejected for his role in the incident. The fighting didn’t stop there since the linebacker continued to jaw back at Jaguars players while being escorted off the field. He ripped off his helmet and tried to go after offensive lineman Brandon Scherff but was restrained by several teammates.
Al-Shaair also exchanged words with Jaguars fans after linebacker Will Anderson Jr. was hit in the helmet by a water bottle.
“Azeez is a smart player, a really great leader for us,” Ryans said. “We felt his presence not being there. His loss, it really affected us on the defensive side.”
This isn’t Al-Shaair’s first time getting into an altercation with an opposing player. During Week 2’s win over the Chicago Bears, he punched running back Roschon Johnson on the sidelines.
This came after he had a questionable hit on quarterback Caleb Williams when Williams was sprinting toward the sideline.
Al-Shaair was also at the center of a play that led to Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen having to leave for a series after hitting his head on the turf, though the All-Pro pass was already going down before Al-Shaair made contact.
“My prayers go to Trevor and I really hope and pray he’s OK,” Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud said. “Praying to his family as well. Still rocking with Azeez. I don’t think that was his intent.”
DeMeco Ryans on Azeez Al-Shaair’s hit on Trevor Lawrence:
“It’s unfortunate. It’s not what we’re coaching.”
He also added, that play doesn’t represent who Al-Shaair is as a player or a person: pic.twitter.com/hx9eWd08TB
— Chancellor Johnson (@ChancellorTV) December 1, 2024
Lawrence finished the game 4-of-10 passing for 41 yards and an interception before leaving. Mac Jones closed out the final two quarters and threw for 235 yards and two touchdowns.
The Texans will be on a bye next week before taking on the Miami Dolphins on Dec. 15.
