Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence was carted off the Everbank Stadium field Sunday after a foul hit by Texans linebacker Aziz Al-Shair.
The injury sparked a scuffle between the teams and sidelined Al-Shair and Jaguars cornerback Zarian Jones from the Texans’ 23-20 victory. Jaguars tight end Evan Engram was also penalized for unnecessary roughness for his role in the ensuing scrimmage.
Lawrence finally sat upright in a cart and left the field. he was After that, he dropped out of the game with head injury. Backup Mack Jones took over at quarterback.
The hit happened in the second quarter as Houston led 6-0. Lawrence scrambled to midfield on second-and-7 and slid to the gain line. Al-Shair dove head first and made direct contact with Lawrence’s upper body as Lawrence slid.
A flag is immediately thrown. Al-Shair’s first reaction was to protest the penalty before hitting Engram right away. A brawl broke out and spilled onto the Jaguars’ sideline.
Al-Shair and two of his teammates were tackled by the Jaguars before officials finally broke up the melee. Lawrence was left face down on the field before the fight ended. He finally managed to stand before leaving the field in a cart.
After the initial fight was settled, Jaguars guard Brandon Scherf approached Al-Shair and another scuffle ensued. After the ejection, Al-Shair was escorted off the field by a police officer, several Texans workers and his teammate Will Anderson Jr. Al-Shair jawed with fans as he approached the tunnel.
According to the CBS broadcast, fans pelted Al-Shayr with objects as he left the field. The game resumed with Jones at quarterback for Jacksonville.
Jacksonville fell behind 23-6 but Jones threw touchdown passes to Parker Washington and Brian Thomas Jr. in the fourth quarter, before the Texans bounced back with a third-down conversion by Joe Mixon and Houston ran out the clock.
Jones finished 20 of 32 for 235 yards and two touchdowns for Lawrence, while Washington had six catches for 103 yards. Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud was 22 of 34 for 242 yards and a TD, Mixon rushed 20 times for 101 yards and a TD, and Nico Collins caught eight passes for 119 yards.
Hit the postgame reaction
After the game, Jaguars safety Andrew Wingard spoke of the team’s unity and applauded Jones for coming to Lawrence’s defense in the post-concussion scrimmage.
“That’s our brother,” Wingard said of Lawrence. “We ride out for each other. It’s not a team — we’re not going to splinter, and you saw it. Jarion’s out there. He’s out there throwing punches.
“You love to watch it, to be honest. You hate it for its wallet. But that’s how our team is.”
In the Texans locker room, quarterback C.J. Stroud defended Al-Shair while congratulating Lawrence.
“I really hope and pray he’s OK,” Stroud said of Lawrence. “Prayers to his family too. Still rocking with Aziz. I don’t think he meant it.
“I pray that Trevor is okay.”
Jaguars head coach Doug Pederson called the hit “a play that has no business being in our league.”
