What Did C.J. Stroud See From the Jaguars' Defense in Week 12?

The Jaguars fared better against C.J. Stroud in Week 12 than in Week 3, but what did the rookie quarterback see from them in the Jaguars' 24-21 win?

Simply looking at the box score from the Jacksonville Jaguars' huge 24-21 win over the Houston Texans in Week 12 won't do the Jaguars' defense justice. 

On paper, Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud had another big game. He completed 72.2% of his passes, scored three touchdowns, threw for over 300 yards with 8.4 yards per attempt, and he finished with a 116 passer rating. 

But the context of the game flow shows just how big the Jaguars' defense was down the stretch. The Jaguars sacked Stroud four times, including twice on the final drive to knock the Texans out of field goal range to force a missed kick on the final play. 

The Jaguars also forced Houston to punt on each of their first three possessions, allowing just two first-downs in the process. The Jaguars also held Houston to 6-of-13 on third-down and 0-for-1 on fourth-down, forcing two Stroud incompletions on a critical set of downs in the final 10 minutes of the game.

“They really didn't do too much. They sent some pressure, but not as much as they did early on. They got us a couple of times in some weird fronts with some pressure looks," Stroud said after the game. 

"I've got to be better with throwing the ball high and things like that, but they really didn't do much different. They're a sound team. They're up front. Josh Allen and [Travon] Walker set the tone. They did a good job stopping the run today. We've got to just be better at execution and fight and just be dogs out there. We had glimpses of it. We had a lot of good things, but not good enough to win. So, got to go back to the drawing board and find out what happened and go move on and play a tough Denver team and get a win there.”

“Credit to Jacksonville for their defense. They mixed it up really well. Credit to those guys. They played well up front," Texans head coach DeMeco Ryans said after the game. 

"Coverages, they were tight, and we have to play better up front. We have to protect it better. We have to run the ball better, and it all starts up front. We weren't the best team up front today on the offense or the defensive line. We weren't the best team, and that's the reason why we didn't win this game.”

Simply put, the Jaguars' defense came to play. The MVP candidate made plays when he could, but the Jaguars' defense helped fuel their biggest win of the season.