Getty Image / Cooper Neill
CJ Stroud has been having a very good rookie year all year, and the second-overall pick of the Houston Texans appears to be someone who will be a star in the league for a long time. But, he entered a new stratosphere of stardom on Sunday after an insane performance against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
How good was the performance? Stroud shattered the NFL record for passing yards in a game by a rookie, previously held by Andrew Luck
It took a virtuoso performance to eclipse Andrew Luck’s 433 yard performance back in 2012. And, Stroud was exceptional, going 30-42 for 470 yards and five touchdowns. The stat-line is great, but it’s the end of the game that made the former Ohio State Buckeye a legend.
After Baker Mayfield led an exceptional touchdown drive of his own to give the Buccaneers a 37-33 lead, CJ Stroud got the ball back with forty-six seconds remaining and with 75 yards to go to score the go-ahead touchdown.
They did just that. Keyed by a deep pass along the left sideline to Tank Dell, Stroud led them on a winning drive, finding Dell in the end zone on an absolute rip. Take a look.
CJ STROUDDDDDDDDDDDD. #TBvsHOU pic.twitter.com/gW2PMBVIbj
— NFL (@NFL) November 5, 2023
He’s only 22 years old, and Stroud is playing at such a mature level. People on Twitter are incredibly impressed by Stroud, who has the Texans at 4-4 with 14 touchdowns and just one interception.
“Are you SERIOUS??CJ Stroud just led the @HoustonTexan to a game winning drive!! With 46 seconds left needed TD down by 4. Throws for a TD with 6 seconds left. CJ threw for 470 yards and 5 TD’s! This kid is a STAR!” Kirk
Herbstreit said.
“I know that most of America isn’t paying attention to the Texans vs Bucs on today of all days, but you’re missing CJ Stroud lock up rookie of the year,” Pro Football Focus’s Brett Kollman said.
Bottom line, Stroud appears like he is going to be a star in the league for a long time.