Texans - Ravens NFL Divisional Round: QB matchup | C.J Stroud vs Lamar Jackson

This Saturday, two stud quarterbacks will face each other in the AFC Divisional round of the NFL playoffs when the AFC top seed Baltimore Ravens host the Houston Texans. The difference is that one is a first-time rookie and the other is a seasoned veteran who’s no stranger to the postseason.

Lamar Jackson vs C.J. Stroud

Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson is the top candidate for this season’s Most Valuable Player. Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud is this season’s top candidate for Rookie of the Year. The two are well-deserving of these titles after their incredible season.

Though Jackson may have a leg-up in experience, Stroud has proven time and time again that he can compete at a high level and is up to the challenge. In the Wild Card round, he led the Texans to a dominant 45-14 win over the Cleveland Browns, completing 16-of-21 passes for 274 yards and three touchdowns. If not for a concussion which he suffered late in the season, he would certainly have broken several rookie records.

Stroud is especially impressive in the passing game. He finished the regular season (15 games) with 4,108 yards and 23 touchdowns to just five interceptions. That’s the eighth-most passing yards in the league. (Jackson comes in 15th in that statistic.)

On the other hand, Jackson has a clear advantage on the ground. Known for being a fantastic rushing quarterback, Jackson has kept up that reputation this season, finishing the regular season with 821 rushing yards and five rushing touchdowns. Stroud recorded just 167 rushing yards and three rushing touchdowns.

When just looking at the stats, it’s impossible to know one of these quarterbacks is a rookie. Stroud has less interceptions, more passing yards, and a comparable completion percentage (63 to Jackson’s 67) and comparable QB rating.

Both are good quarterbacks, but how will they do against the defense? The Texans have played more games against elite defenses than the Ravens have this season. In the two games in which Jackson played against top-10 QB defenses, he was able to complete 28 of 42 passes for 409 yards with three touchdowns but also two touchdowns. Stroud, on the other hand, has played against top 10 QB defenses six times, completing 59% of his passes for six touchdowns and just one interception.

Both will go up against difficult defenses on Saturday, but the Ravens defense, which ranked fifth in pass defense in the regular season and recorded the most sacks of any defense in the league (60), will be slightly more problematic for Houston.

Jackson and the Ravens will have homefield advantage and are fresh off the bye week. Stroud and the Texans are high off of the Wild Card win. Both excel in different areas and know how to perform under pressure, with Jackson having a slight edge in experience. It’s going to be a show, that’s for sure.

Make sure you follow along with our live coverage of the game right here on AS USA.