Jaguars WR Christian Kirk reaches 1,000 yards in first drive vs. Texans

Wide receiver Christian Kirk needed 12 yards to register the first 1,000-yard season of his NFL career and he reached the milestone on the Jaguars’ first offensive drive of their Week 17 matchup against the Houston Texans.

The Jags’ defense was off to a strong start, successfully stymieing the Texans’ offense. On their own 45-yard line, Houston decided to go for it on fourth-and-1 but Jacksonville stopped them and got the ball. Trevor Lawrence quickly got to action and led an eight-play, 45-yard drive that ended on a five-yard rushing touchdown by JaMycal Hasty.

Kirk reached the 1,000-yard mark on the very first play of the drive when he hauled in a 13-yard pass from Lawrence. The former Texas A&M Auggie is the first Jaguars receiver since DJ Chark Jr. in 2019 to register 1,000 yards or more in a season. Also, he joins Keenan McCardell as the only receiver to log 1,000 yards in his first season in Jacksonville.

A second-round pick by the Arizona Cardinals in 2018, Kirk inked a four-year $72 million contract with the Jags in free agency. One of the biggest criticisms surrounding the signing was that Kirk had never had a 1,000-year season in his career and wasn’t a true No. 1 wide receiver. The Arizona native has shown in his first year in Jacksonville he’s worth the investment the Jags made in him.

As of this writing, there isn’t a video of Kirk getting over 1,000 yards but here’s one post from the Jaguars’ official PR Department acknowledging the achievement.

The Jaguars can win their 8th game of the season vs. the Texans

The Jags are holding no punches in Week 17. Their defense has done a good job of slowing down the Texans and the offense already scored. They don’t need to score 50 points but if they can build a favorable lead in the first half, they could pull their starters in the fourth quarter.

On the days preceding the game, Doug Pederson told the media they were going full steam and weren’t resting any players against the Texans. True to his word, the Jags are off to a quick start and leading 7-0 early in the game.