Houston Texans linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair took one of the cheaper shots you will see on Sunday afternoon, going head to head with Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence as Lawrence was sliding.
See for yourself.
Prayers up for Trevor Lawrence.
There is no place in the game of football for dirty hits like this one. pic.twitter.com/4ueibyJntt— Robert Griffin III (@RGIII) December 1, 2024
The play resulted in a scuffle between both teams after Evan Engram threw Al-Shaiir to the ground. Lawrence ended up being carted off the field.
Al-Shaair was ejected.
Not surprisingly, social media was on fire following the hit.
That’s bull by Azeez Al-Shaair!! You just dive over the QB’s head when they slide. You make sure they go down but you don’t go to the players helmet like that. I 100% agree with an ejection.
And 100% there’s supposed to be a fight! Jaguars did the right thing.
— Ryan Clark (@Realrclark25) December 1, 2024
I’ve been covering the NFL for 48 years and I can’t remember a cheap shot worse than what Al-Shaair did to Lawrence. He’ll be lucky to avoid a suspension.
— John McClain (@McClain_on_NFL) December 1, 2024
“It’s everything you’re not supposed to do. Everything…There’s an honor that you give to your opponent on the football field and you respect him.”
Daryl Johnston on Azeez Al-Shaair.pic.twitter.com/KO9i2XbuIx
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) December 1, 2024
Good on Evan Engram, that hit was incredibly dangerous and unnecessary. https://t.co/uRBhTBNHdQ
— Mike Kaye (@mike_e_kaye) December 1, 2024
Lawrence already entered this game with an injury as it was, as he was recovering from an AC joint sprain in his left shoulder that caused him to miss the last two contests.
There was much debate as to whether or nor the former No. 1 overall pick should actually take the field against the Texans, but the worry was that he would aggravate his shoulder injury; not that he would take a completely unnecessary hit.
Lawrence had gone 4-for-10 with 41 yards and an interception before exiting the contest.
It hasn’t been an easy year for Lawrence in general, as he has thrown for 2,045 yards, 11 touchdowns and seven picks while completing 60.6 percent of his passes.
The 25-year-old signed a $275 million contract extension with the Jaguars last offseason, with Jacksonville clearly putting all of its eggs in the Lawrence basket moving forward.
Lawrence has certainly displayed flashes of brilliance since entering the league in 2021, like during his sophomore campaign when he totaled 25 touchdowns and eight picks and led the Jaguars to an AFC South division title. He also guided them to a thrilling playoff win over the Los Angeles Chargers.
However, Lawrence and Jacksonville took a massive step back last year when they lost five of their last six games to miss the playoffs entirely.
There was some hope that the Jaguars could at least partially right the ship heading into 2024, but Jacksonville entered play on Sunday with a brutal record of 2-9.
Of course, right now, the most important factor is Lawrence’s health in general. Hopefully, the nasty hit does not have any adverse affects on the signal-caller moving forward.
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