A lot of people seem to think C.J. Stroud just now figured out how to beat the blitz against Jacksonville. The Jaguars just blitzed him more, so it was more apparent.
Does no one remember the 49ers game last year? 😂 He shredded them vs. the blitz and was doing the same against Denver the next week before getting hurt.
For much of the rest of the year, teams barely needed to blitz/knew Stroud was good against it. They could sit in two high, defend the run with a light box against a struggling rushing attack, and still get home with four.
Stroud was still playing good, efficient football. It just looked different because of what defenses were giving him, not because he suddenly forgot how to attack the blitz either.
Coming into Week 6, CJ Stroud was the NFL's least blitzed QB (22.1%), perhaps because he ranked 1st in success rate and 2nd in explosive play rate vs. the blitz.
Jacksonville responded by blitzing him on a season high 37.1% of dropbacks.
The result? Stroud went 9/13 for 68 yards and a TD vs. the blitz, and 10/11 for 118 yards and 2 TDs under pressure.
He remains lights out vs. the blitz this year and effective under pressure.
Per @NextGenStats & PFF.
It's easy to second-guess decisions of whether to go for it or not.
But it feels like DeMeco Ryans often doesn't go with the flow of the game on any of his decisions.
He'll go for it when the offense isn't having success, but won't go for it when it is moving the ball.