Is the AFC South the site of the NFL’s next hot quarterback rivalry after the recent development
The NFL has traditionally always had truly great quarterback rivalries — ones that sometimes even seem bigger than the game itself.
Patrick Mahomes versus Joe Burrow. Peyton Manning versus Tom Brady. Troy Aikman versus Steve Young. John Elway versus Dan Marino. And on Sunday, football fans may have witnessed the NFL’s next great QB rivalry.
The AFC South showdown between the Jacksonville Jaguars and Houston Texans had everything fans could want: back-and-forth action, lots of offense (797 total yards), plenty of scoring chances (Jacksonville and Houston were a combined 5-for-6 in the red zone) and late-game drama (Houston kicker Matt Amendola narrowly missed the tying 58-yard field goal, which shanked off the crossbar).
Oh, and there were also two quarterbacks at the top of their game dueling it out in 24-year-old Trevor Lawrence and 22-year-old C.J. Stroud, who went blow-for-blow, filling up the stat sheet and giving fans a glimpse of what the next decade in the AFC South could look like.
Lawrence passed for 368 yards, two touchdowns (one rushing) and an interception, while Stroud threw for 304 yards and two touchdowns — his fourth straight game with 300 yards or more, and his sixth such game this year. It was a performance that even Lawrence had to admire.
“The way [Houston is] playing, it’s exciting, yes,” Lawrence told reporters after the game. “There’s going to be, I’m sure, some great matchups down the road, and C.J.’s 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. 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’d be better for us.”
I think everyone gets so caught up in who’s better – It’s ok to say Stroud and Lawrence are both really good. There are ebbs and flows – look at Herbert and Allen. I was really impressed with Stroud’s ability to escape and extend yesterday. Trevor was thr
Sunday’s 24-21 Jaguars win split the season series. The Texans took a 37-17 win back in Week 3 — a game in which both of the quarterbacks were front-and-center again. That day, Stroud got the better of Lawrence, passing for 280 yards and two touchdowns to Lawrence’s 279 yards, one touchdown and one interception.
While the Indianapolis Colts and Tennessee Titans may have also found their franchise QBs in Anthony Richardson and Will Levis, respectively, Sunday’s game proved that Lawrence and Stroud are the class of the AFC South, at least for now.
