Azeez Al-Shaair's dirty hit on Trevor Lawrence had a silver lining in Jaguars' loss

There were several interesting plotlines surrounding the Jacksonville Jaguars ahead of their Week 13 game against the Houston Texans. However, everything took a backseat when linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair laid a cheap shot on Trevor Lawrence that forced him to leave the game. To make matters worse, the Jags lost and were eliminated from playoff contention. But in the midst of all the chaos and disappointment, there was a silver lining.

Right after Al-Shaair's hit on Lawrence, his teammates wasted no time coming to his defense. The most notable of the bunch were tight end Evan Engram and right guard Brandon Scherff. Both of them called the linebacker out for his cheap shot and a scuffle on the Jaguars sideline ensued.

Wide receiver Brian Thomas Jr. was also displeased with the events that took place and came to his quarterback's corner. Here's a video of the brawl from the bleachers, via Twitter user @VintGoCrazy.

Here's another angle of Scherff confronting Al-Shaair, via Laurie Fitzpatrick.

As you can see, most Jaguars players wasted no time standing up for Lawrence, and the ones that didn't get into the scuffle were either far from the action or tried to de-escalate the situation. All things considered, that's a sign that players are sticking together despite the fact that the season hasn't gone the way the Jaguars expected.

Following the game, head coach Doug Pederson gave an update on Lawrence and told the local media that Al-Shaair's hit has no place in the NFL. Similarly, DeMeco Ryans said that the linebacker's cheap shot isn't a reflection of the Texans.

On top of that, Texans players were in disbelief, showing support for the Jaguars quarterback after he got hurt.

This wasn't a mistake, though. Al-Shaair also hit quarterback Caleb Williams, which will probably factor in a potential suspension, as insider Jordan Schultz of Fox Sports noted in the aftermath.

But wait, there's more! Al-Shaair also punched Bears running back Roschon Johnson in Week 2 and got fined for it. Based on his lengthy history of penalties, he's potentially looking at a hefty fine and maybe a lengthy suspension as a "repeat offender."

Jaguars players came to Trevor Lawrence's defense after the hit

Early in the season, it was reported that head coach Doug Pederson had lost the looker room. Whether he did or not, players are still looking out for each other, and this dynamic was on full display after the Trevor Lawrence hit.

Even though the Jags won't be able to salvage their season, players at least should be proud that they've got each other's back, and that's something worth recognizing in what's otherwise been a season to forget.

Following the loss to the Houston Texans, rookie Brian Thomas Jr. told the local media that the first thing he did after Lawrence was hit was make sure he was ok, pointing out that "We all defend each other. We all love each other, so that's what we're going to do. Well, all protect each other."

Mac Jones, for his part, said that his fellow quarterback is a warrior but hoped he was ok after the blow.

"Trevor's tough dude," Jones said. "Just to be able to play in this game and to see him go down like that was not fun for anybody. And we were all praying for him, also just getting ready to play and try and win it for him. We did it. So hope he's okay, and I'll get a chance to talk to him soon."

Evan Engram, who was one of the first players to come to Lawrence's defense said that he knew the hit was wrong.

"Those hits are always in question. Trev was going down, and I saw out in my peripheral," Evan told the press corps. "I got a pretty clear view of it, and that moment, the instinct was it just didn't feel like a clean hit. So just stick up for my quarterback."

Losing stings, even more when you lose a player like Trevor Lawrence. However, the Jacksonville Jaguars showed solidarity when he went down, and that was a silver lining in a game where not many things went right.

More Jaguars analysis here: