AFC Notes: Trevor Lawrence Concussions, DeMeco Ryans, Texans Defense, Titans

Jaguars

During a press conference this week, Jaguars QB Trevor Lawrence said he hopes to avoid the type of hits that caused him to sustain a second concussion in two straight seasons, but added he isn’t overly concerned about the issue.

“It doesn’t necessarily worry me,” Lawrence said, via Pro Football Talk. “I think it’s something that can be scary, I guess, seeing it after the fact and not really knowing what was going on. In that moment, I didn’t know that was happening, I was out, so I didn’t know. So, it’s kind of weird. It’s just weird seeing it after the fact, but I don’t know if ‘worried’ is the right word moving forward. I think it’s something that you definitely are aware of and just you don’t want to get a lot of concussions, obviously. That’s an easy answer there. I don’t want to have more of them, you want to limit them, but I think right now it’s not something I’m overly concerned about. I just want to be able to protect myself and obviously, don’t want to continue that trend because that can definitely affect how long you play if you keep getting those. I want to stay healthy. I want to avoid those shots to the head when I possibly can.”

Texans

The Texans’ defense was completely dominant in their win over the Chargers, intercepting QB Justin Herbert four times, two of which were by CB Derek Stingley. Houston HC DeMeco Ryans had high praise for his group following the victory.

“Our defense, they dominated,” Ryans said, via Aaron Wilson of Click2Houston.com. “That’s who we want to be. They played our brand of football. Most proud of how we stopped the run. You make teams one-dimensional, and that’s when our D-line causes havoc. Very proud of our D-line, but more so proud of our DBs.”

“Our entire D-line, they really cut it loose and got a lot of pressure on the quarterback,” Ryans added. “Every guy, from Will (Anderson Jr.) to Denico (Autry), everybody. Mario (Edwards) with the sack. All across the board, those guys were rushing together. They were disciplined with their rush lanes, everybody did a great job of keeping Herbert in the pocket, and they were able to get him down several times.”

Texans S Eric Murray had one of the other interceptions, as did rookie CB Kamari Lassiter, who never allowed a catch and was the first Texans rookie with an interception in a playoff gams since DL J.J. Watt.

“It’s a team effort,” Murray said. “Look at who we have up there on the front. Those are some big, scary rushing dudes. When they get going, quarterbacks get skittish back there. It’s a credit to them and it definitely matriculates to the back end. That’s why we have all those interceptions.”

“Cold,” Stingley said of the performance by Lassiter. “I don’t even think he didn’t give up a catch? Nothing, nothing. He is different. I’m proud of him. Coverage comes down to reading who’s in front of you, eliminating certain things, and playing what you see. As a unit, we just go out there and play. Get the ball. It’s just going out there and executing. We’ve got to do it again, so we’ve got to keep it going.”

• Texans LB Will Anderson was fined $14,069 for Unsportsmanlike Conduct (illegal celebrations and vulgar acts), and CB Kris Boyd was fined $9,526 for Unnecessary Roughness (striking/kicking/kneeing) in Week 18.

Titans

• Titans LB Cedric Gray was fined $5,576 for Unnecessary Roughness (striking/kicking/kneeing), LB James Williams was fined $4,540 for Unsportsmanlike Conduct, and CB Daryl Worley was fined $6,722 for Unnecessary Roughness (hit on the defenseless player) in Week 18.