Jaguars' Lawrence carted off vs. Texans after dirty hit to head

Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence left Sunday's game against the Houston Texans after taking a brutal hit to the head while trying to slide at the end of a play in the second quarter.

Lawrence stayed down after the hit from Texans linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair, who was ejected from the game. Several flags were thrown on the play, and a fight started after several Jaguars players came to the QB's defense.

Jacksonville head coach Doug Pederson criticized Al-Shaair's hit postgame.

"It's a play that has no business in our league," Pederson said, according to Hays Carlyon 1010 XL.

Texans head coach DeMeco Ryans also addressed the situation, saying he expected more from his defender.

"It's unfortunate. That's not what we're coaching," Ryans said, per team reporter Mark Berman. "Have to be smarter when the QB is going down. Not representative of who Azeez is."

Jaguars fans threw objects at Al-Shaair on his way off the field.

Lawrence was carted to the locker room and officially ruled out minutes later with a head injury. Mac Jones entered the game at QB for the Jaguars, who lost 23-20 to the Texans to fall to 2-10 this year.

Lawrence completed 4 of 10 pass attempts for 41 yards with no touchdowns and one interception before leaving the matchup. The 2021 No. 1 pick missed Jacksonville's previous two games due to a shoulder injury.

The 25-year-old was seen leaving the locker room with his family postgame, according to ESPN's Michael DiRocco.