Houston Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud Katie Stratman-USA TODAY Sports

C.J. Stroud on pace to shatter 84-year-old record as Texans QB enters MVP race

By Vinny Somma | Last updated 11/13/23

At this point, C.J. Stroud winning NFL Rookie of the Year appears to be a foregone conclusion. More than halfway through the season, Stroud and his Houston Texans appear to be on to bigger and better things.

After a Week 10 performance that saw the first-year signal-caller orchestrate his second game-winning drive in as many weeks, the Texans have moved into the final wild-card spot in the AFC while Stroud has catapulted himself into MVP consideration.

Houston Texans CJ Stroud has entered the MVP conversation with one of the best rookie starts we have ever seen.

- 15 TD
- 2 INT
- 2,626 Yards
- 61.6 %
- 101.1 QB Rating
- The Texans lead the NFL with most 20+ yard plays on the season! pic.twitter.com/YnzyHs9AXE
— NFL Rumors (@nflrums) November 13, 2023

Coming off a rookie-record 470-yard passing performance in Week 9, Stroud amassed 356 yards through the air in Houston's upset victory over the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday. His outing put him in a tie with Cam Newton and Andrew Luck for the most 350-yard passing games by a rookie quarterback with three.

Stroud etching his name into the NFL record books doesn't stop there.

He currently leads all quarterbacks in passing yards per game this season, averaging 291.8 yards through nine starts. Should Stroud continue to lead the pack, he'd become the first rookie to finish first in passing yards per game since Davey O'Brien (120.4) in 1939, per Tony Holzman-Escareno of NFL Research.

While questions surrounding the majority of his quarterback classmates from the 2023 draft remain, Stroud has quickly solidified himself among the league's most promising young talents at the position.

From The Insiders on #NFLPlus: CJ Stroud has the #Texans believing... pic.twitter.com/KeYwQONYoa
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) November 13, 2023

Selected No. 2 overall last April, Stroud has taken a three-win Texans team from 2022 and turned it into a legitimate playoff contender nearly overnight, along with new head coach DeMeco Ryans. With the 21st-ranked defense (340 YPG) and the eighth-worst rushing attack in football (98.2 YPG), the Texans have asked Stroud to shoulder an inordinate amount of pressure in his rookie season. Nonetheless, the first-year quarterback continues to answer the bell.

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