Analyst Reveals Major Concern for Jaguars' Bitter Rival QB

The Houston Texans have not exactly been getting elite play from C.J. Stroud, and that could be a concern moving forward.

Nov 24, 2024; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud (7) looks on during the two minute warning against the Tennessee Titans in the fourth quarter at NRG Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Thomas Shea-Imagn Images / Thomas Shea-Imagn Images

While the Jacksonville Jaguars have been downright terrible this season, another team within the AFC South has also fallen short of expectations.

That would be the Houston Texans.

The Texans entered the 2024 campaign considered by many to be the Kansas City Chiefs' biggest threats in the conference, but they have been anything but the sort thus far.

Following their Week 12 loss to the Tennessee Titans (at home, mind you), Houston is now just 7-5 on the year. It will probably still win the division, but that is much more of an indictment on the AFC South than any sort of major accomplishment for the Texans.

Perhaps the biggest concern for Houston has been the substandard play of quarterback C.J. Stroud, who enjoyed a historically great rookie showing in 2023.

As a matter of fact, Tyler Brooke of The 33rd Team thinks it's time to worry about Stroud, setting Stroud's panic matter to an eight out of 10.

"Heading into Sunday, Stroud ranked near the bottom of the league in some key advanced stats," Brooke wrote. "According to NFELO, out of 46 qualified quarterbacks, Stroud ranked 29th in success rate, 24th in EPA per dropback, and 22nd in adjusted net yards per pass attempt."

While Brooke cited the Texans' struggling offensive line as a factor in Stroud's pedestrian performance, he also thinks the sophomore signal-caller deserves some individual blame.

"Still, even from a clean pocket, there are times when Stroud tries to dance around the pocket or delivers an inaccurate pass due to messy footwork," added Brooke.

To be fair, Stroud is without Stefon Diggs for the remainder of the season, and Nico Collins recently returned after missing considerable time.

Still, even with Collins back the last couple of games, Stroud hasn't looked great.

On the season overall, the 23-year-old has thrown for 2,875 yards, 14 touchdowns and nine interceptions while completing 63.1 percent of his passes and posting a passer rating of 87.3.

He only has four multi-touchdown efforts this year, and his decision-making has not been quite as good as it was during his rookie season.

It's entirely possible that this is a sophomore slump for Stroud, but his showing in 2024 is just another example of why you shouldn't put the cart before the horse.

Heck, Stroud has not looked a whole lot better than Trevor Lawrence this season, and what do you know? The Jaguars will face the Texans this Sunday. We'll see if Lawrence will be able to return from his injury.

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