Jaguars hope the second go-around against Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud goes much better
The Jacksonville Jaguars will be the first NFL team to play against Houston Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud twice when they travel to Houston on Sunday for an AFC South showdown.
Will facing Stroud a second time, plus having six more games on tape for the defense to dissect, help the Jags' defense?
Jags coach Doug Pederson certainly hopes so. It couldn't have gotten much worse during the first go-around vs. the rookie from Ohio State at EverBank Stadium on Sept. 24 when Stroud completed 20 of 30 passes for 280 yards and two touchdowns in a shocking 37-17 victory over the Jaguars.
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Stroud put up those numbers behind a makeshift offensive line, yet built a 17-0 halftime lead.
Since then, Stroud has led the Texans to a 6-4 record, one game behind the Jaguars (7-3). Stroud is second in the NFL with 2,962 yards, third with 8.3 yards per attempt and is tied for seventh among NFL starting quarterbacks for the fewest interceptions with five. And that's after having three in a win this past Sunday against Arizona.
"I've been impressed for a rookie quarterback to come in and perform at this level," Pederson said Monday during a news conference at the Miller Electric Center. "I just admire his poise. He's putting the ball where he wants to put it, he's got the ability to escape and move and still keep his eyes down the field ... and they're making big plays down the field."
Pederson is right: Stroud leads the NFL with the most pass completions of 20 yards or longer, with 49.
The Jaguars' defense bounced back from that game to be the foundation of a five-game winning streak. The unit took another setback two weeks ago in a 34-3 loss to San Francisco but bounced back on Sunday in beating Tennessee 34-14.
The Jaguars' task at hand against the Texans when they kick off at NRG Stadium (1 p.m., CBS) is simple when it comes to AFC South divisional math. A victory gives the Jags a two-game lead with six games to play but a loss gives the Texans a huge leg up: they would still be tied for first but Houston would own the head-to-head tiebreaker 2-0.
"They're all big games," Pederson said in repeating a frequent NFL mantra. "Our guys will respond. It's going to take a good week of prep and their film study and all that but a great opportunity. It's going to be loud, they're playing extremely well but we are too."
D'Ernest Johnson getting more at-bats
Fifth-year veteran running back D'Ernest Johnson has been getting more snaps in recent weeks and Sunday had a huge fourth-down play that led to the Jaguars breaking the game open.
Johnson had the most touches he's had in one game this season against the Titans, with seven carries for 20 yards, and one pass reception for 34 yards. The reception came on fourth-and-four from the Titans' 40 to inside the 10 on the first possession of the third period, setting up the first of two Trevor Lawrence TD runs to give the Jags a 20-0 lead.
It's the most touches in one game for Johnson since the final game of the 2021 season when he gained 123 yards on 25 carries for the Browns, in a game against Cincinnati.
Johnson has 19 carries for 67 yards this season and six receptions for 77 yards. He's had 15 of those 25 touches in the last three games.
"He's the same guy we thought we had coming out of training camp," Pederson said. "That's why we held onto him. He's a really good running back ... he's given [Travis Etienne] some valuable rest throughout the course of the game."
Rookie running back Tank Bigsby had nine carries for 21 yards but made another mistake with an offside penalty on the punt team in the second quarter when the Titans punted. When the penalty made it fourth-and-one, the Titans went for it and Derrick Henry plowed through for the first down.
However, the Jags' defense eventually forced another punt.
Pederson defends roughing penalty
The Jaguars had another frustrating roughing the passer penalty Sunday, when outside linebacker K'Lavon Chaisson hit Will Leavis on a third-and-five, forcing an incompletion. Roy Robertson-Harris couldn't stop his momentum and landed on top of Chaisson.
The officials ruled that Chaisson "fell with his body weight" on Levis. On the next play, Levis threw a 43-yard TD pass to D'Andre Hopkins on a trick play.
"It's tough, especially with quarterbacks in a backpedal sort of position," Pederson said. "The natural reaction of the quarterback is to go backward. The best guys can do is just as they're going to the ground, try to roll off to the side and brace with your hands. Roy has to be careful in that situation too. It's tough on those guys ... it's unfortunate. I think it was the right call."
Jaguars came out healthy
The Jaguars did not report any notable injuries out of the game and Pederson said Lawrence's knee injury from earlier in the season is no longer an issue.
"It was pretty much gone," he said of Lawrence's sprain that he sustained in the second Colts game at home on Oct. 15. "He's in a good place with that."
This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: C.J. Stroud praised by Jagrs coach Doug Pederson for his poise, big plays
