In the second quarter of the Jaguars-Texans game, QB Trevor Lawrence scrambled before sliding, but Azeez Al-Shaair violently tackled him using his forearm, which resulted in the QB hitting his head on the ground. He suffered a concussion and Al-Shaair got suspended for three games for his actions. While a majority of viewers agreed the tackle was too violent, there is a section of fans who believe that there is another issue: QBs faking slides.
Yes, Lawrence didn’t fake it, but there have been several instances where quarterbacks have faked a slide, only to get in more yards. This results in confusion for the defenders and that’s the argument Houston Texans HC DeMeco Ryans used to defend his player. He stated:
“A lot of the quarterbacks are trying to take advantage of the rule where they slide late and they try to get an extra yard. A lot of onus is on the defender…you don’t know what a guy is thinking. You don’t know if a guy is staying up, if he’s continuing to run. You don’t know and you get a late slide and you hit the guy.”
And when NFL fans heard this, they couldn’t help but think about the Kansas City Chiefs’ Patrick Mahomes, who has a tendency to fake slides and give-ups to confuse defenders. For instance, during a game between the Chiefs and the Lions in 2023, the QB looked like he was about to give himself up, but then, picked up the first down with a third-quarter scamper. The defensive back avoided tackling him due to the fear of a penalty, but Mahomes was still on his feet.
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