Some massive storylines came out of NFL Week 7. Cleveland Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson tore his Achilles and will miss the remainder of the 2024 season, Saquon Barkley outgained his former team all by himself, Russell Wilson blew out the New York Jets and Marcus Mariota dominated the Carolina Panthers. Who saw all of that coming?
This week, I want to discuss a few important topics: Does C.J. Stroud have a problem playing on the road? The borderline ridiculous NFL MVP market and what it should really look like, and how the Panthers are even worse than you think. What will happen next with them? Let’s jump in.
1. Does C.J. Stroud have a road problem?
A friend texted me last week asking why the Houston Texans were three-point underdogs to the Green Bay Packers. This was expected to be one of the best games of the week. Three points is a lot for two pretty evenly matched teams.
I responded eloquently, saying “Stroud has a weird road thing.” It’s actually something I’ve been thinking about for some time now. Then on Sunday, Stroud completed 10 of 21 passes for 86 yards in a two-point loss. His 86 passing yards marked a career low, and just 34 came when targeting receivers. So, does Stroud have a road problem? The numbers may surprise you:
Stroud career splits
Home
9-2
311.1
21
5
106.3
Away
5-6
213.5
12
4
90.5
Stroud averages 97.6 more passing yards per game at home than on the road. According to CBS Sports Research, that’s the biggest gap by any quarterback since the merger (min. 10 starts at home and road). Stroud has crossed 300 passing yards on the road just once, and has four road starts where he failed to throw a single touchdown. He’s thrown at least one touchdown in every home start.
Houston is 5-2 on the year, and both losses came on the road. The Texans were blown out by the Minnesota Vikings in Week 3, 34-7, and of course lost to the Packers on Sunday, 24-22. Overall, the Texans are…
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