C.J. Stroud makes more history as Texans roll Browns behind their star rookie QB

C.J. Stroud of the Houston Texans had a huge first half in the team’s wild-card weekend win over the Browns. (Photo by Carmen Mandato/Getty Images)

Which NFL quarterbacks would you comfortably rank ahead of Houston Texans rookie C.J. Stroud right now?

There’s Lamar Jackson, and clearly Patrick Mahomes. Obviously Josh Allen. And … well, let’s just say the list is surprisingly short and this isn’t the time to rank Stroud anyway. He and the Texans have more playoff football to worry about first.

Houston advanced with a lopsided 45-14 win over the Cleveland Browns in the opening game of the NFL postseason. The big story was Stroud. His incredible rookie season has been one of the big stories of the entire NFL season.

Late this season, there was a lot of hype that the Browns’ elite defense made them a Super Bowl contender. Stroud torched that defense and sent the Browns home. Stroud had 236 yards and three touchdowns, and that was just in the first half. Only nine rookies in NFL history had more than 236 passing yards in an entire playoff game. He was the first rookie quarterback in NFL playoff history to throw three touchdowns in the first half. No Texans quarterback had ever thrown three touchdowns in a playoff game, and Stroud did it before halftime.

Stroud continues to impress. With every challenge he seems to raise his level even further. Quite simply, we’ve never seen a rookie quarterback like Stroud.

C.J. Stroud shines in playoff debut

It wasn’t just Stroud that had the Texans off to a fast start, of course. Texans offensive coordinator Bobby Slowik, who will be a hot name in the coaching carousel, confused the Browns with a dizzying array of misdirection plays. Stroud’s teammates made big plays, most notably Brevin Jordan taking a short pass, cutting inside and outrunning the defense for a 76-yard score. It was the second-longest touchdown by a tight end in NFL playoff history.

But Stroud executed everything at a high level, like he has done all season.

Stroud’s…

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Author : Yahoo Sports

Publish date : 2024-01-14 00:23:53

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