Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence left Sunday's game on a medical cart after Houston Texans linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair hit the QB while he was sliding, appearing to lead with his forearm and helmet. The smack of the tackle could be heard on TV.
Lawrence lay motionless on the field in what looked like a fencing response. But it was hard to see all of Lawrence's body because, almost immediately, a fight broke out. After Al-Shaair made the tackle, Jaguars tight end Evan Engram rushed over and shoved him, and players from both teams escalated the clash. At one point, the broadcast showed a huge swath of players on one sideline as the fight wound down while, further away, a handful of personnel tended to Lawrence. ESPN's Michael DiRocco reported that "an official knelt to protect Lawrence as the skirmish moved toward the Jaguars sideline."
When the yellow flags stopped flying and the whistles quieted down, Lawrence left the field on a medical cart, sitting up. The team announced what anyone who saw the video already knew: He was out with a concussion. Al-Shaair and Jaguars cornerback Jarrian Jones were both ejected.
NFL commentators railed on Al-Shaair. During the broadcast, Daryl Johnston said, "Al-Shaair does everything you're trying to prevent in this situation." Former safety Ryan Clark called the hit "bull" for being directed at Lawrence's helmet. Former defensive end Michael Strahan said of Al-Shaair: "I think he threw himself out of the game. I personally think he did that because he realized if he had stayed in that game, he was not going to be protected for that game, because what he did everybody knows as a defensive player you don't do that." In the same broadcast as Strahan, former defensive end Howie Long called the hit "indefensible."
But the game went on. It always does. The Texans won 23-20, with Jaguars backup quarterback Mac Jones throwing two fourth-quarter touchdown passes that kept it close.
