Week 13 of the NFL was a busy one around the league. Unfortunately, injuries happen in football, but injuries that can be avoided, like the concussion that Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence sustained, are difficult to watch.
With 3:57 remaining in the second quarter, Lawrence slid at the end of a six-yard gain. Texans ' linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair blasted Lawrence in the helmet as he slid, leading with his padded elbow. The hit sparked a brawl and ejections.
Lawrence was making his first start since Week 10 when he suffered a sprained left AC joint in a loss to the Philadelphia Eagles. He missed the Jaguars' next two games, losses to the Minnesota Vikings and Detroit Lions . The Jaguars had a Week 12 bye, giving Lawrence a month to recover.
However, the dangerous hit by Al-Shaair may cost Lawrence more playing time in 2024 – and it's going to cost Al-Shaair time on the field, as well.
Here are the latest updates on Lawrence's health, Al-Shaair's suspension and comments from Doug Pederson:
Lawrence provided an update on his injury on Dec. 1 , thanking everyone for their support.
"Thank you to everyone who has reached out / been praying for me. I'm home and feeling better. Means a lot, thank you all," Lawrence posted on X.
His status for Week 14 (at the Titans) is TBD as of Monday.
Lawrence was officially ruled out with a concussion after being bulldozed by the Texans' Azeez Al-Shaair in the second quarter of the Week 13 game in Jacksonville . The quarterback was down on the field and was eventually carted to the locker room.
WHAT DOES THAT MEAN? Trevor Lawrence is in the concussion protocol
Al-Shaair was ejected for the hit, which resulted in a brawl between both sides.
Lawrence was later seen leaving the stadium with his wife.
Mac Jones stepped in under center for Lawrence, nearly leading Jacksonville to a win before losing 23-20.
This is the second concussion Lawrence has had in his NFL career. He also suffered a concussion in a Week 15 loss to the Baltimore Ravens on Dec. 17, 2023.
The NFL is suspending Al-Shaair three games for his hit on Lawrence.
In the announcement from the league , NFL vice president of football operations, Jon Runyan , wrote to the Texans' linebacker, saying his actions were unacceptable.
The statement in full:
"During your game against the Jacksonville Jaguars on December 1, with 4:20 remaining in the second quarter, you were involved in a play that the League considers unacceptable and a series violation of the playing rules. Video shows you striking the head/neck area of Jaguars' quarterback Trevor Lawrence after he clearly goes down in a feet-first slide...You led with your forearm and helmet and delivered a forceful blow to the head/neck area of your opponent when you had time and space to avoid such contact.
"After the illegal hit, you proceeded to engage in a brawl, which you escalated when you pulled an opponent down to the ground by his facemask. After the referee announced that you were disqualified for the hit and your unsportsmanlike acts, you removed your helmet and reengaged with your opponent while walking down and across the field, which started another physical confrontation near the end zone.
"Your lack of sportsmanship and respect for the game of football and all those who play, coach, and enjoy watching it, is troubling and does not reflect the core values of the NFL...Your continued disregard for NFL playing rules puts the health of safety of both you and your opponents in jeopardy and will not be tolerated."
Al-Shaair is eligible to return in Week 18. He also retains the right to appeal the suspension.
In the aftermath of the play, Jaguars defensive end Josh Hines-Allen weighed in after being asked whether Al-Shaair should be suspended for the hit.
"That was a dumb hit on his part. At the end of the day he's just playing football, but again, the way we've changed the rules of how we play, we go over these things," Hines-Allen said, via ESPN.com . "We talk about these things. We know how to play football. A couple of years ago, that would've been a great hit, but now that wasn't a good play on him. I am not going to sit up there and say, does he deserve to get suspended or not? That's not my call at that moment. It wasn't smart."
Here is a replay of the hit that knocked Trevor Lawrence out of the game:
Note: Some viewers may find the video's content disturbing.
Lawrence's teammates responded immediately to Al-Shaair's hit; They went after the linebacker, and the ensuing brawl resulted in three unnecessary roughness penalties – one on the Texans and two against the Jaguars – and two ejections, Al-Shaair and Jacksonville defensive back Jarrion Jones.
Al-Shaair continued to yell at the Jaguars sideline as he left the field, including veteran offensive guard Brandon Scherff . He also appeared to be shouting at fans before staffers and Texans defensive lineman Will Anderson Jr. escorted him to the locker room.
GENE FRENETTE: Dirty hit on Trevor Lawrence lowlights another tough loss to Texans
On Monday morning, Al-Shaair apologized for the hit that knocked Lawrence out of Sunday's game.
"I genuinely didn't see him sliding until it was too late," Al-Shaair wrote in a statement he posted to X . "To Trevor i genuinely apologize to you for what ended up happening. Before the game we spoke and I told you how it was great to see you back out on the field and wished you well. I would never want to see any player hurt because of a hit I put on them especially one that's deemed 'late' or 'unnecessary.'"
Al-Shaair had another on-field altercation earlier in the 2024 season. In the Texans' Week 2 win over the Chicago Bears , the linebacker punched running back Roschon Johnson on the sideline.
This melee occurred after Al-Shaair had a questionable hit on quarterback Caleb Williams when Williams was sprinting toward the sideline. The linebacker was not ejected for his actions in that game.
Al-Shaair was fined $11,817 for the punch.
During his postgame press conference , Jaguars coach Doug Pederson said he didn't have the chance to talk to Lawrence or the doctors after the game but said the quarterback will be in concussion protocol.
"It's a play that nobody wants to see in our league," Pederson said. "You see what happens after the fact and it just escalates. I've got a lot of respect for coach (DeMeco) Ryans. I know he doesn't coach his team that way and we don't coach our team that way. It's unfortunate. It really is. Just glad that Trevor is going to be fine."
Pederson was then asked if he considered shutting down Lawrence for the season because of his shoulder injury and concussion, but he said it was too soon after the game to think about that.
Speaking on the extracurriculars that happened after the fact, Pederson wasn't surprised to see the reaction but said his team's actions were also unacceptable.
"You see it at every level of football when the quarterback gets hit at that magnitude. It just escalates. Obviously Jarrian (Jones) on our side, he can't do what he did either. That's unacceptable as well."
"You've got to be the bigger person," Pederson said. "You have to be the bigger man. Just fortunate no one else was ejected from the game."
There wasn't a significant update during Doug Pederson's press conference on Monday. Lawrence remains in the concussion protocol and Pederson said that Lawrence did not aggravate his left shoulder injury on the play. Pederson added that the team will let Lawrence progress through the protocol before considering a possible return and noted that "where we are as a team" will be considered with Lawrence's health.
"You gotta take it all into consideration obviously, and make a smart choice," Pederson said. The Jaguars are 2-10.
Ryans, the Texans' head coach, shared his thoughts on Al-Shaair's hit on Lawrence slide during his press conference on Monday.
"We stand behind Azeez and everything that came from that," Ryans said. "Of course the unfortunate hit on a quarterback. But it's two-fold. A lot of the quarterbacks in this day and age, they try to take advantage of the rule where they slide late and they try to get an extra yard.
"Now, you're a defender, and a lot of onus is on the defender. Whether it's on the sideline or whether it's on the quarterback, you don't know what a guy is thinking. You don't know if a guy's staying up and he's continuing to run. You don't know. And you get a late slide and you hit the guy.
"Unfortunate that Trevor got hurt. We hope Trevor's OK. But also, if we're sliding, you have to get down."
Ryans went on to blame the Jaguars for "overreacting" following the hit, saying it was Jacksonville's sideline that started the ensuing brawl.
"It wasn't our guys. Their team overreacted, pushed our guy, dragging our guy to the sideline. So that's uncalled for on that side. We have to be better on the sideline as well with both teams," Ryans said.
As of early Tuesday morning, the NFL has not yet announced further punishment for Al-Shaair or any Jaguars players involved in the altercation.
This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Trevor Lawrence hit: Injury update, suspension news Pederson comments
