Which QB Is Under Most Pressure in AFC South, Lawrence or Stroud?

If NFL divisions were brothers, the AFC South would be the runt of the litter. The entire division has combined for just three Super Bowl appearances since the Jaguars entered the league in 1995. And Jacksonville and Houston are two of the four NFL franchises that have never even appeared in a Super Bowl (along with Detroit and Cleveland).

The quarterbacks of those two AFC South teams, Trevor Lawrence and C.J. Stroud, also are facing some of the league’s most pressure this season. The Jaguars’ signal-caller tops that list, according to former NFL player Chris Canty.

“He's teetering right now on being the guy that's just good enough to get you fired,” Canty said on Tuesday’s edition of First Take. “It didn't work out with Urban Meyer, it didn't work out with the last guy, and now the question is whether or not it could work out with Liam Coen.

“They've gone out of their way to try to support him properly. They mortgaged the future in trading a future first-round pick in order to move up from 5 to 2 to get him yet another playmaker out on the edge in Travis Hunter. So, you got a one-two punch with Brian Thomas Jr., who's a phenomenal young receiver, 1,000 yards out the gate, and Travis Hunter. You got two solid running backs in Travis Etienne and Tank Bigsby, you got a solid offensive line. This is on T-Law to make it work.”

He's made it work before. Lawrence led the Jaguars to a 15-5 record over a phenomenal stretch from 2022-23. But Stroud took over the division at that point, leading the Texans to the last two AFC South crowns. That’s partly why Kevin Clark sees Stroud, not Lawrence, as the quarterback bearing the largest burden.

“He's the only one who can get into the upper echelon of AFC quarterbacks with an unbelievable year,” Clark explained. “We know what that means: Josh Allen, Lamar Jackson, Joe Burrow, Patrick Mahomes. But C.J. Stroud can build on what he had as a rookie, not the second season; he can get on that trajectory eventually, even this year. He was the most pressured guy on the planet last year on throws over 15 yards. That’s why he regressed.

“The Texans’ protection schemes under their offensive coordinator last year were amateurish. The offensive line was amateurish. If you take a step forward -- and they brought in new guys for the offensive line -- you can take a leap here that can get him on a plane that is special.”

Stroud, the NFL’s Offensive Rookie of the Year in 2023, is a longshot to win the MVP, but he’s at least in the conversation. He’s also 3-1 against Lawrence in head-to-head battles. When the Texans visit the Jaguars in Week 3, the Jaguars need a win to avoid extending Houston’s winning streak at EverBank Stadium to eight years. Jacksonville hasn’t won a home game against the Texans since 2017.

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