While a season-shifting win in London, England against the Jacksonville Jaguars is the main priority on Sunday morning, the continued statistical ascension of Houston Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud will also be something to monitor. Specifically, his presumed elevation up the passing yards leader board in a faceoff against one of the three-worst passing defenses in the NFL.
Through the first five weeks of play, Stroud has accumulated:
- 1,402 passing yards (fourth-most)
- Four games of at least 250-plus passing yards
- Two games of 340-plus passing yards
- Three games with a passer rating over 100.0
- Three games with a completion rate over 67%
- Four games with at least one touchdown pass (including two games with multiple)
- Zero interceptions
Against a leaky Jaguars secondary, Stroud has an opportunity to eclipse the three signal callers in front of him for the undisputed top passing mark through six weeks of league competition.
C.J. Stroud can become the #1 passer in the NFL with another impact performance in this week's Houston Texans vs. Jacksonville Jaguars match up
For context, here are Stroud's other competitors and their respective opponents in week six:
- QB No. 1: Matthew Stafford (1,572 passing yards) vs. Arizona Cardinals (25th ranked/8th-worst secondary)
- QB No. 2: Jared Goff (1,485 passing yards) - BYE WEEK
- QB No. 3: Jordan Love (1,408 passing yards) vs. Dallas Cowboys (21st ranked/12th-worst secondary)
Add in Stroud (1,402 passing yards) against Jacksonville's 30th-ranked/3rd-worst ranked secondary, and the recipe for him to sit alone atop the passing charts is present. Two of the three opposing passing leaders are facing off against slightly better passing defenses, while Stroud himself has also been on a heater for most of the still-young campaign.
Additionally, it's not like Houston really has any confidence in their 31st-ranked/2nd-worst ranked rushing attack to spearhead their offensive schematics in two days. Therefore, it's almost like Stroud and the aerial unit has no choice but to throw everything except the kitchen sink at Jaguars defensive coordinator Anthony Campanile in hopes of a second Texans takedown of Jacksonville in Wembley Stadium.
With a prolific enough outing—if for just one weekend—Stroud can stand alone as the singular most effective player it his position. No, it's not the Super Bowl. However, it'd be just another notch in the belt for a 25-year-old Pro Bowler who's still working every week to prove that Houston didn't make a mistake by drafting him at second-overall in 2023, and that they'd be foolish to consider any other option under center for the foreseeable future of the franchise.
But of course, beat the Jaguars and no one will care about the raw passing numbers (at least, not any real ball knowers will).
Add us as a preferred source on Google