Texans linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair is back, ‘excited’ for matchup with Lions’ loaded ‘Sonic and Knuckles’ backfield

HOUSTON – Texans veteran linebacker and team captain Azeez Al-Shaair endured a slow burn over the past three weeks, dealing with the pain of a knee injury and the frustration of having to be out of the action while he recovered.

During his convalescence, Al-Shaair mentored linebackers Henry To’oTo’o, Neville Hewitt, Jake Hansen and Devin White as they picked up the slack. Now, Al-Shaair is back for a high-profile Sunday night game against the 7-1 Detroit Lions at NRG Stadium.

“It’s definitely tough, being out,” Al-Shaair told KPRC 2. “I think the guys did a great job filling in. I tried to help them as much as I can, giving them everything I knew and tips. I’m excited to be back. I’m ready to go. Sunday night, there’s no bigger stage. Everybody has to watch you. As a kid, that’s the game you always watched regardless of who was playing. I think it’s always something about Sunday nights, something I always thought about as a kid.”

In six games for the Texans, Al-Shaair has established himself as a hard-hitting presence in the middle of the defense. He has recorded 40 tackles, four tackles for losses, one sack, six quarterback hits and one forced fumble.

The Texans will need Al-Shaair’s physicality and range against a loaded Lions backfield headlined by quarterback Jared Goff and a formidable running back tandem of Jahmyr Gibbs and David Montgomery. The Lions rank sixth in rushing offense. The Texans are second in total defense, 12th against the run.

Gibbs is a speedy, elusive runner who has gained 756 yards and scored seven touchdowns, establishing a season-long pace of 1,394 yards and 15 touchdowns.

Montgomery is more of a power back at 5-foot-11, 224 pounds, breaking a ton of tackles to pile up 488 yards and seven touchdowns for a season-long pace of 1,037 yards and 15 touchdowns.

They even have nicknames inspired by video game characters, which Montgomery is a huge fan of. Gibbs is “Sonic,” after the speedy “Sonic the Hedgehog,” and Montgomery is “Knuckles,” plowing through tacklers like ‘Knuckles the Echidna.”

The first rushing tandem to both eclipse 1,000 rushing yards in the same season was Larry Csonka and Mercury Morris on the legendary undefeated 1972 Miami Dolphins. The last tandem to do was Lamar Jackson and Mark Ingram in 2019.

It’s strength on strength for the Texans’ defense against the Lions’ running backs and a powerful offensive line led by center Frank Ragnow and offensive tackle Penei Sewell.

“Physical, ‘Sonic and Knuckles,’ some fair analogies,” Al-Shaair said. “The tandem they have, I respect it. I’ve known David for a while. I know the type of player and person he is. It shows on tape as well. Talking about Gibbs, it’s that change of pace, that slasher. At the same time, you see him break open a whole lot of tackles. You see him running guys over, too. It’s their overall mentality as a team.”

The Texans’ defensive priorities: stop the run and contain the passing tandem of Goff to wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown, the Lions’ $120 million All-Pro who has 48 catches for 464 yards and six touchdowns this season. It’s a brawny Lions offense.

“Their offensive line does a really good job of running off the football,” Ryans said. “They’re big guys, big offensive linemen that cover guys up well. And credit to their backs. Two really good backs: Gibbs, very explosive, home-run runner. And then you’ve got Montgomery, the other guy who’s just downhill, tough, physical. And so, both of the guys, they run hard, they’re physical. I think they have the most yards after contact.

“They just find a way to get yards. For us, as a defense, we have to do a really good job of tackling. People have been there, they’ve been on these guys, but they have done a great job of making guys miss tackles. So, we have to swarm. We have to tackle. It’s going to take more than one person to get their backs down. They’ve done a really great job. Talk about a 1-2 punch, probably the best 1-2 punch in the league.”

Signed to a three-year, $34 million free agent deal this offseason, Al-Shaair overcame illness to pile up eight tackles, two quarterback hits and two passes defensed earlier this season in a win over the Buffalo Bills. He went to the hospital emergency room with severe nausea, losing roughly 10 pounds before playing in the game.

The Texans immediately targeted Al-Shaair as a key addition for their revamped front seven, reuniting him with Ryans after he coached him previously with the San Francisco 49ers.

This time, the Texans landed the former undrafted free agent from Florida Atlantic after watching him ply his aggressive trade for the Tennessee Titans last season as he finished fifth in the NFL with 163 tackles.

Al-Shaair provides a relentless sideline-to-sideline presence and fills a gap created by former Texans starting linebacker and leading tackler Blake Cashman signing with the Minnesota Vikings.

Like the Texans are built in the vision of coach DeMeco Ryans, a former Pro Bowl linebacker and NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year, the Lions embody the gritty, aggressive mentality of coach Dan Campbell, a former NFL blocking tight end and former Texas A&M standout.

“For sure, I think definitely when you look around the league and you see teams that have a certain mentality,” Al-Shaair said. “Emmanuel Mosely, who’s over there, is a good friend of mine. We talked about it earlier in the week, even throughout the offseason, talking about the mentality. He said, ‘Man, you would love it here, it’s just what you like.’ It feels like the same mentality we have in San Francisco and here with DeMeco. I definitely think it’s going to be a really good matchup.”

The Texans will be breaking out their new Battle Red futuristic uniforms that have a shiny metallic look.

“Red is my favorite color,” Al-Shaair said. “My mom assigned me green as my birth color, but I love red. That metallic, I like it, for sure.”

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Aaron Wilson is a Texans and NFL reporter for KPRC 2 and click2houston.com