Trevor Lawrence on Texans rookie QB C.J. Stroud: He's 'playing lights out'
Trevor Lawrence came out on top in the battle for the AFC South between the Jacksonville Jaguars and the C.J. Stroud-led Houston Texans on Sunday. Finishing on the winning end of the 24-21 game made it easy for Lawrence to credit his rookie counterpart on the Texans.
The Jaguars star is clearly impressed by the first-round pick from Ohio State but that doesn’t mean he’s happy with how well Houston is doing in Stroud’s first season. Naturally, it would be better for Lawrence if the Texans remained a middling divisional opponent.
“I want the teams in our division to be as bad as possible, so that’s how I see it,” Lawrence said, via Jaguars.com. “The way they are playing, it’s exciting. There are going to be some, I’m sure, great matchups down the road, and C.J. is playing lights out. He’s doing a great job.
“To be a rookie and to play how he is, I’ve got a lot of respect for him,” Lawrence continued. “I know how hard it is. I’ve been in that position. He’s doing a great job, and it’s going to be fun for years to come. But no, I wouldn’t prefer that. I’d prefer if the guys in our division didn’t have good quarterbacks. It would be better for us.”
It seems the Jaguars and Texans are destined for many exciting future matchups between Lawrence and Stroud. On Sunday, the game came down to a 58-yard field goal attempt for Houston kicker Matt Ammendola. The kick was straight-on but doinked out on the crossbar.
If Jacksonville forced overtime, there would be two teams at 7-4 in the AFC South. Instead, the Jaguars are 8-3. In 2017, when the team lost in the conference championship game, they started the season 7-4.
Stroud on pace to break rookie season record
The Jaguars offensive line kept Lawrence clean on Sunday with no sacks, despite left tackle Cam Robinson suffering an injury. Stroud did not have the same luxury. He had four sacks while throwing 26-for-36 for 304 yards and two touchdowns. He also led the team in rushing with six carries for 47 yards and a rushing touchdown. Meanwhile, Lawrence went 23-for-38 with 364 yards, one touchdown and one interception.
The Texans rookie is currently chasing Andrew Luck‘s rookie passing record. Luck had 4,374 passing yards and 23 touchdowns in his first year. Stroud has already broken Luck’s single-game rookie record with the 470-yard performance he had against Tampa Bay. He needs 1,108 more yards in the final six games to break the rookie season record – he already has 19 passing touchdowns.