HOUSTON — Every week, there seems to be a new achievement for Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud, having a rookie season not seen by the league in years.
How many years? Try 84. Eighty-four years ago was last time a rookie quarterback led the league in passing yards per game, according to ESPN’s Ian Rappaport and the official X account of NFL research. The last one to do it – Davey O’Brien in 1939. Yeah, that Davey O’Brien. The former TCU quarterback who now has an award named after him for the best college quarterback.
Through nine games, it's something Stroud is doing.
So far this season, Stroud has averaged 291.8 yards per game, which is tops in the NFL. He’s ahead of the injured Kirk Cousins of the Vikings at 291.4 yards per game and the Dolphins’ Tua Tagovailoa, who sits at 289.9 yards per game.
For overall yards, Stroud is second to the Commanders’ Sam Howell. Howell has thrown for 2,783 yards this season to Stroud’s 2,626 yards. While Howell has thrown more touchdown passes than Stroud (17 to 15), Stroud has thrown only thrown two interceptions to Howell’s nine. In fact, no quarterback in the league who has played in at least six games has thrown fewer interceptions than Stroud this season.
Stroud already has set records, including most yards throw in a game for a rookie and most passes to start a career without an interception.
With numbers like this – and the fact that Stroud led two game-winning drives in his last two starts – the Texans quarterback not only has a strong case for NFL Rookie of the Year, he’s also starting to enter the league MVP conversation.
