The best way to describe No. 1 overall pick Cam Ward‘s first month in the NFL may be the song “Under Pressure” by the iconic rock band Queen.
Entering Week 5 of the NFL season, Ward’s faced 68 pressures which puts him in the league behind only Joe Flacco (70) and Justin Herbert (69), per Pro Football Focus (PFF). He’s tops in the league in sacks with 17, two more than Lamar Jackson in second.
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In Tennessee’s Week 4 loss to Houston, the Texans defense registered seven hits on Ward. One of those hits got attention from the league offices nearly a week later.
NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero reports the NFL has fined Texans linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair $17,389 for hitting Ward in the head/neck area in Week 4. No flag for roughing the passer was thrown during the game for that hit.
Al-Shaair was suspended for three games last season for a hit on Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence. This is the first fine for the Texans’ linebacker this season. He was fined twice for hits last season: $11,255 for a late hit on Titans running back Tony Pollard in Week 12 and $11,817 for punching Chicago Bears running back Roschon Johnson on the sideline during a Week 2 scuffle.
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Tennessee managed just 175 total yards against Houston in Week 5. It was the first of a three-game road trip that sees the Titans play the Cardinals and Raiders on the road before returning home in Week 7 to take on former coach Mike Vrabel and the New England Patriots.
Ward actually played better relative to the rest of the league when pressured compared to when he’s in a clean pocket. Per PFF, he’s 36th out of 37 qualifying quarterbacks by passer rating when kept clean (73.6). When facing pressure, he’s up to 30th (46.5).
Ward hasn’t had much of a break to start his rookie season. The Titans’ first four opponents this year all boast top-12 pass defenses by expected points added (EPA) per pass, according to SumerSports: the Texans (fourth), Broncos (seventh), Colts (10th) and Rams (11th). Their next three opponents are among the bottom 12 by that metric.
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Azeez Al-Shaair fined for hit on Cam Ward in Week 4, per report