Texans rookie C.J. Stroud shares mature take on unexpected MVP chatter

Houston Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud may already be the uncrowned Offensive Rookie of the Year for this season but isn't letting talk about being a potential Most Valuable Player candidate get to his head. 

"It’s been cool to be able to be in the [MVP] talk, but just like they love me this week, they’ll hate me the next," Stroud explained during a midweek news conference, per Myles Simmons of Pro Football Talk. "So, I don’t try to look at that stuff. I try to stay even-keeled and just stay on the straight and narrow, and just work really hard and make my teammates around me better."

Stroud guided the Texans to wins across three of their past four games to get the club to 5-4 ahead of this Sunday's home matchup against the 2-8 Arizona Cardinals. According to ESPN stats, Stroud enters Week 11 ranked 10th in the NFL among qualified players with a 63.3 adjusted QBR, sixth with a 101.0 passer rating and first with an average of 291.8 passing yards per game. He tossed 15 touchdown passes and only two interceptions over Houston's first nine contests. 

As of late Thursday morning, oddschecker listed Stroud as a +2500 betting underdog to earn MVP honors. The 22-year-old is following advice he received from retired living legend Tom Brady and working to remain focused on what he can control as Houston pursues a playoff berth. 

"I feel like I’ve made some plays, but there’s some things that I still need to get better on, for sure," Stroud added during his comments. "And I feel like it’s everybody every week. This game keeps you honest and it keeps you humble, you know? So, it’s a humbling game and it makes you really, really look yourself in the mirror and see, 'Did you prepare the right way? Did you do this the right way?' Because everything will be tested on that Sunday. The eye in the sky doesn’t lie."

Also on Thursday morning, oddschecker had the Texans as five-point favorites against the Cardinals. Stroud could become more than just a longshot to win MVP if he stacks victories even against what are, on paper, lesser opponents through Week 18.