Battle Red Blog
That was an ugly game, even by Thursday Night standards and no one should be forced to watch that ever again…let’s review.
The Day After the Day After...when the raw, immediate emotions from the aftermath of a game diminish into the realm of clarity and the proverbial (or literal) hangover no longer haunts the mind. With that, a review of Week 9:
That pass protection…or lack thereof: At this point, this feels like a repeat of previous observations. The offensive line could not protect CJ Stroud. The interior of the line, especially left guard, can’t even act as a temporary road block. If the interior doesn’t hold, then it all falls apart. For the New Jersey Jets, they finally got the type of pass rush they expected to have all season in this game. Reddick’s presence did a lot to spur the D-line to make life hell for Houston. When Kenyon Green went down (later a shoulder injury that placed him on IR yet again), many felt that maybe, finally, there could be some semblance of pass protection. Yet, Stroud still suffered another brutal night at the office. The pass protection hasn’t been this poor since the early Watson/David Carr era.
Stroud’s mobility: Given the aforementioned pass protection issues, it is remarkable that Stroud hasn’t been sacked even more than he has. Much of that goes down to his deceptive mobility. Somehow, he finagled 59 yards rushing on 8 carries, many scrambles. He was never a runner per se, but at least he can make some things happen with his legs. However, his scrambling should be a compliment to his game, not a primary function.
Road Warriors…Maybe Not: A couple of weeks ago, CBS Sports posted an article that talked about the home-road splits for the Houston Texans, and CJ Stroud in particular. TL/DR version, Stroud plays way better at home vs. on the road. That can apply for most any QB, but the last few weeks really seem to bear that out. Overall, the team is 2-3 on the road, 4-0 at home. While the Texans actually score more points on the road (22.4 vs. 22.25 at home), they surrender more points on the road (25.4 vs. 18.25). Take out the New England game, and the stats for Houston look much worse. With dates at Dallas and Kansas City still looming, hard to say that the road slate will be any easier to navigate.
As Will Anderson Jr. goes, so goes the defense: Credit needs to be given to the Jets coaching staff for making the adjustment necessary for Rodgers to go from 7 of 14 for 32 yards in the 1st half to 22 of 33, 3 TD and 223 yards at the end of the game. However, that also coincided with Will Anderson Jr. not being on the field for the 2nd half. After an injury that sidelined him for parts of the 1st half, the staff decided that he couldn’t go after halftime. Without Anderson, the...
