The matchup between the Jacksonville Jaguars and the Houston Texans last week featured a grueling hit from Texans linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair against Jacksonville’s star quarterback Trevor Lawrence. The egregious tackle, that got Al-Shaair ejected and left Lawrence immobilized in the middle of the field, has been described as the “dirtiest play” of the season.
The incident occurred in the late second quarter when Lawrence scrambled out of the pocket on second down, identifying a gap in the defense and looking to grab a first down for the Jaguars. The quarterback tucked the ball and sprinted for the first down marker around the 40-yard line. As quarterbacks often do to avoid injury, Lawrence initiated a slide to avoid unnecessary contact.
However, Al-Shaair came bolting in toward Lawrence, refusing to slow down as Lawrence began to slide. The Texans’ defensive player lunged at Lawrence, who was in an extremely vulnerable position, appearing to lead with his elbow. As the two collided in a violent impact, Lawrence was slammed against the ground, his head snapping back and smacking the field.
Lawrence dropped the ball, left in a stiff position with his arms locked out in front of him, clearly dazed by the extreme impact of the hit. Immediately, his teammates charged Al-Shaair, knocking him to the ground in defense of their quarterback. As Lawrence lay motionless on the ground and the medical staff rushed on the field to tend to him, a brawl ensued between the players of the opposing teams.
Following the game on Sunday night, Lawrence posted an update to X, informing fans that he was okay while expressing gratitude for the thoughts and prayers that had been offered. “Thank you to everyone who has reached out / been praying for me. I’m home and feeling better. Means a lot, thank you all
” the quarterback wrote.
“Get well soon, Trevor. You are one of the most exciting young quarterbacks in the league, and the game needs you back healthy and strong. As for Azeez Al-Shaair, that hit was vicious and dirty—completely unacceptable. The NFL needs to make an example here. A long suspension is the only way to protect players and send a clear message that this kind of behavior has no place in the game,” one person wrote in support.
Another user commented under Lawrence’s update, “Good to hear, man. I’m not a Jaguars fan but I always hate seeing dirty shots to ANY football player regardless of which team they play for. Your teammates fought for you which was epic to see, man. Hope you get back on the field soon, good sir!”
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Sharing a clip of the hit, one person said, “One of the dirtiest plays I’ve seen all season by Houston LB Azeez Al-Shaair. Jaguars QB Trevor Lawrence slid feet first and almost had his head taken off. Lawrence carted off the field. Al-Shaair was ejected.” Other reacted sharing the same sentiment about the severity of the hit. “Al-Shaair needs to be suspended for the rest of the year or banned indefinitely. This is not the first time he has done this and he needs to have consequences or the NFL will suffer,” another person said.
Watch the hit below:
Note: The featured image is a screenshot from the embedded video.