NFL's Next Great Rivalry Is Born And Gives Us Great Game With Great Finish To Prove It
The NFL's next great rivalry in the tradition of Raiders-Chiefs in the 1960s-70s and Peyton Manning versus Tom Brady in the 2000s? The Jacksonville Jaguars against the Houston Texans.
Trevor Lawrence against C.J. Stroud.
Doug Pederson versus DeMeco Ryans.
Might be hard to see now with the Chiefs boasting Patrick Mahomes and the Bills and Dolphins duking it out in the AFC East. The Dallas Cowboys and Philadelphia Eagles might also have a different opinion.
But these two young, talented teams with outstanding young quarterbacks and coaching staffs are promising us a great rivalry and a great games in the years to come.
HOUSTON, TEXAS - NOVEMBER 26: Head coach Doug Pederson of the Jacksonville Jaguars talks with C.J. Stroud #7 of the Houston Texans after a game at NRG Stadium on November 26, 2023 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Logan Riely/Getty Images)
Jaguars And Texans Have Right QBs And Coaches
They gave us a pretty good one Sunday.
"That's a great win for our team," Jaguars coach Doug Pederson said. "Puts us a few games up and that was our goal this week, obviously. Our guys battled for 60 minutes. We knew it was going to be a tough football game against a really good football team here in Houston that plays hard, plays tough and plays to the end."
What we saw out of two emerging AFC South playoff contenders says they're both legitimate today. And tomorrow is very bright.
The Jaguars win this one, 24-21.
And the reason they're still not playing is Texans kicker Matt Ammendola missed on a game-tying 58-yard field goal with 34 second left in regulation.
Texans And Jaguars Show They're Close
Ammendola, out of football only three weeks ago, was signed by the Texans when Ka'imi Fairbairn was injured and placed on injured reserve. Ammendola had never connected on a field goal of over 50 yards.
And he didn't connect this game.
But it was thisclose.
Between two teams thisclose to being very good.
And this is the kind of finish you expect when two evenly matched teams play. This is what you expect at the end when teams separated by one game in their division decide things.
So, yeah, maybe a couple of inches separates these two right now.
HOUSTON, TEXAS - NOVEMBER 26: Trevor Lawrence #16 of the Jacksonville Jaguars and C.J. Stroud #7 of the Houston Texans meet after their game at NRG Stadium on November 26, 2023 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Carmen Mandato/Getty Images)
Trever Lawrence Vs. C.J. Stroud A Budding Rivalry
The Jaguars remain atop the division and the Texans can continue to vie for a postseason berth with a 6-5 record and after splitting the season series.
"Not a missed opportunity for us it's one we didn't play our best," Texans coach DeMeco Ryans said afterward. "As I told our guys, 'You don't play your best, you don't execute versus a good team, this is what happens.
"No need to hold our head or sulk about anything. We have to do something about it when we're out there on the field."
This one is interesting because both teams are in the process of trying to accomplish something. And, yes, the Jaguars are further along in their development.
That's probably the reason Jacksonville leads the division with an 8-3 record and has history, in coach Doug Pederson's second season, of already tasting playoff success last season.
HOUSTON, TX - NOVEMBER 26: Trevor Lawrence #16 of the Jacksonville Jaguars drops back to pass against the Houston Texans during the first half at NRG Stadium on November 26, 2023 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Cooper Neill/Getty Images)
Trevor Lawrence Has Best Day Of Season
But the Jaguars obviously aren't all there yet. They're still learning. And Sunday was another lesson.
"Our guys, we're learning how to finish, and really proud of the way our guys hung in there today," Pederson said.
The Jaguars had to hang on by the fingertips after holding a 10-point lead with 11:20 to play. The Texans, authors of last-minute comeback victories in each of their last three games, obviously weren't just going to fold.
So we had a team adept at comeback wins falling just short against a team that is succeeding in finishing off opponents.
"We just have to be better," Ryans said. "We weren't the best team up front today either on offense or the defensive line. We weren't the best team and that's why we didn't win the game."
Now let's state the obvious. The long-hanging fruit:
Both these teams are on the rise because their young quarterbacks are reaching for stardom.
The Jaguars believe they have a full-fledged elite quarterback in Trevor Lawrence and not much he did Sunday would argue against that point. Lawrence threw for 364 yards.
That eclipses Lawrence's season high of 345 yards and falls just short of his career high 368 passing yards in one game. So whatever you think about Lawrence, the Jaguars are convinced they have the face of the franchise on the roster.
"We're getting better, we're being more explosive," Lawrence said. "We're kind of moving the ball at will. We're doing a lot of great things ..."
HOUSTON, TX - NOVEMBER 26: C.J. Stroud #7 of the Houston Texans reacts after a play against the Jacksonville Jaguars during the second half at NRG Stadium on November 26, 2023 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Cooper Neill/Getty Images)
Texans Stroud Almost Authors Another Comeback
The Texans are, too.
Rookie C.J. Stroud weeks ago stopped being discussed in offensive rookie of the year conversations and joined MVP talk.
He did nothing to quiet that talk this game after throwing 2 TD passes without an interception. Stroud is among the league leaders with 19 TDs and only 5 interceptions this season.
And, no, Stroud didn't get his team in the end zone for the win this game. But anyone who saw this game understands what's next.
That's two teams on the rise vying for a division crown year after year, as their two outstanding young quarterbacks continue to rise as they compete.
A great rivalry is born.