Texans’ Offensive Collapse Drags Stroud Down in Latest QB Rankings
After three straight offensive duds for the Houston Texans, the initial shades of doubt have effectively begun to creep in around quarterback C.J. Stroud.
The Texans have been the lowest-scoring offense throughout the NFL within three weeks of action. This offense has also resulted in the worst third-down effectiveness, ranking in the bottom-ten within both passing and rushing yards on the year, and find themselves within the bottom-five in EPA/play.
It's a nightmarish start to the year for the Texans offensively, and as a result, Stroud has begun to face a bit of heavy criticism and even has some disrespect coming his way.
NFL.com's Nick Shook recently broke down a ranking of each starting quarterback in the league through the initial three showings of the year, stacking up every talent from best to worst based on their initial sample size.
And for Stroud, he found himself all the way at number 25, residing in the fourth tier of quarterbacks, with a wild list of names sitting ahead of him.
"Houston is failing C.J. Stroud at a rate that almost seems criminal," Shook wrote. "The Texans can't protect him consistently or establish a reliable running game, their play-calling rhythm is poor and Stroud is expected to bail them out far too often. Predictably, he's falling short of that mark in a situation that is growing uglier with each week."
Of those names residing ahead of Stroud is including, but not limited to, all three other AFC South starters, backups Mac Jones (21) and Marcus Mariota (18), and the one pick ahead of Stroud in the 2023 NFL Draft, Bryce Young (24).
A brutal beginning stretch for Stroud and this offense as a whole, that now finds the Texans in an 0-3 deficit in the standings, while Houston's quarterback will be faced with doubters to prove wrong in the process.
Thankfully, a Week 4 vs. the Texans' division rival Tennessee Titans, provides a chance for Stroud and this offense to get back on its feet, and thus, start the climb back to the top of the AFC South with their first win on the board.
But, if Stroud and his surrounding unit continue to show signs of growing pains, still aren't on the same page, and falter once mire, then the chatter will start to get ugly surrounding this Texans roster.
Former Eagle Pshycho Enforcer Has Blunt Message For Jalen Carter After Costly Mistakes
Jalen Carter’s 2025 season has been a rollercoaster of brilliance and breakdowns. On opening night, the Eagles’ star defensive tackle was ejected just six seconds into the game for spitting on Dak Prescott. Then in Week 3, Carter nearly sabotaged another win when he drew a 15-yard taunting penalty after blocking Josh Karty’s kick in the fourth quarter.
The flashes of dominance are there. So are the lapses in judgement that nearly cost Philly games. That’s why former Eagles defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh, who knows better than most the razor’s edge between dominance and discipline stepped in with pointed advice for the third year star.
No Stranger to Smoke
It’s pretty ironical that Suh, who was disciplined by the league five times during his 13 year NFL career, is the purveyor of sound advice for the third year defensive lineman, who won two national championships with the Georgia Bulldogs and was drafted by the Birds ninth overall in 2023, but sometimes the guys who had the bad boy reputations, are the ones who learned the most from their previous mistakes. Suh was one of those players who played with a blankness in his eyes becuase of his perceived lack of boundaries and sportsmanship morals that he conducted himself with when he played. Carter has some of that in him. You can see it. Every team could stand to benefit from an occasional pshyco or two on their roster and Carter so far fits that bill. On the Green Light podcast with former Eagle Chris Long this past week, Suh explained exactly how Carter needs to handle himself when emotions run hot, specifically regarding Carter’s ejection :06 seconds into the current season for spitting on Cowboys’ quarterback Dak Prescott:
“My heart of hearts would have been, Jalen man, take that one on the chin but then two or three series later go ahead, clean hit, put that elbow right into his (Prescott) ribs then get up off of him, push on his chest and say to him ‘Do you really want to start this smoke?’ But that’s how you’re being creative about it and staying within the white lines and within the rules. So that’s where you gotta teach a young guy like that to not react right away and that’s how you really get them back where it truthfully hurts… within the rules and white lines. And I think that’s just maturity.”
Then Suh pivoted from discipline to growth, making it clear he sees Carter’s potential if he commits to the same path as one of his current and former teammates at Georgia.
“I was at (Eagles) camp earlier this year… Man he’s so talented and so raw I mean… if he takes that same dedication that Jordan Davis did … and seeing his crazy raw talent. And I told him (Davis) when I was there, ‘I’m proud of you man, you lost all that weight that we talked about… you’re trimmed up… you’re focusing… you’re learning to use your hands.’ This kid was straight shoulders, man, 350 pounds … no one’s going to stop that. But now you’re seeing him bending, the scoop and score, and doing all these little things…”
What It Means for Carter
Suh isn’t preaching from a distance. He’s lived the role of feared enforcer, fined villain, and eventually, respected veteran. His message to Carter has two layers:
- Control your impulsivity to react right away – that’s how you get tossed six seconds into a game. Wait for the moment when you can respond legally, physically, and decisively. Otherwise you’re just hurting your team, teammates, fans, coaches and the organization.
- Follow the Davis model. Carter’s ceiling is higher than most, but Suh points to Jordan Davis as the example – quiet focus, steady discipline, and physical dominance sharpened by maturity.
Why the Eagles Need Him to Listen
The Eagles survived both Carter’s ejection and his taunting flag llast Sunday versus the Rams, but the margin is shrinking. That’s two personal fouls and one ejection in three games already this year to go along with four he had last season. Philadelphia can’t afford to lose its most disruptive lineman because of emotional mistakes. The difference between Carter becoming an All-Pro force and becoming a liability isn’t talent, it’s maturity.
Suh’s advice frames the challenge perfectly – strike when it matters, play within the rules, and pair raw ability with the discipline that turns highlights into a career-defining legacy.
