JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — An AFC South quarterback battle of the ages, Trevor Lawrence and C.J. Stroud both threw for 300 yards passing and combined for seven touchdowns in this Week 6 contest. Ultimately, the Jaguars tough start was too much to overcome as Stroud and the Texans came out on top, 34-31.
Let’s look at what went right, and what went wrong against the Jaguars’ AFC South rival.
It would be disingenuous to start without mentioning Travis Hunter’s historic day. Hunter became the first player since Brian Dawkins in 2002 to record an interception and receiving touchdown in the same game.
He’s just the fourth player in NFL history and third since the merger to do so. The crazy part is that he’s only played 13 career games. How many more record-setting days are yet to come?
Despite just nine offensive snaps, Hunter made the most of his opportunities, catching 4 balls for 59 yards and a score. It was the second-most productive day on offense of his young career.
Shifting our focus to Lawrence, he was exceptional aside from an early interception in the endzone. On the day, Lawrence completed 24 of 41 passes for 306 yards, four touchdowns, and one interception.
He now leads the NFL with 14 passing touchdowns (tied w/ Kirk Cousins) and is the only quarterback to post multiple games of 4+ touchdowns through Week 6. Bhayshul Tuten, Nate Boerkircher, and Hunter all were more involved against the Texans. This is an offense that can feature anyone on any given week.
Shifting our focus to what went wrong: drops, penalties, and pass-defense.
The Jaguars were officially “awarded” four drops on the day, but there were several more that were more than catchable. Going into Week 6, Brian Thomas Jr ranked dead last among WRs in converting catchable targets into receptions. It’s hard to imagine that has changed, failing to
haul in either of his two targets. After 15 first half snaps, Thomas Jr saw zero in the second half.
The Jaguars had another week of struggles with penalties. While the total amount was reduced, the impact was not. Bhayshul Tuten’s game-tying touchdown in the 2nd quarter was nullified before further disaster struck. Lawrence would then throw an interception, ending a touchdown drive with zero points.
The Jaguars’ pass-defense is beginning to become a concern. The Jags now rank 30th in passing yards per game (273.8) and 30th in yards per pass play (7.4). Cornerback Jarrian
Jones has been targeted 37 times over the last three weeks and is the most targeted defender this season. Even with all of the takeaways, the Jaguars’ pass defense has to improve going forward.
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