Tag: C.J. Stroud MVP

Texans QB C.J. Stroud ready for first showdown with Cowboys DE Micah Parsons

A rivalry could be brewing between Houston Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud and Dallas Cowboys defensive end Micah Parsons.

Houston Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud called Dallas Cowboys defensive end Micah Parsons more than a friend. The second-year passer said Parsons is more like family and considers him “definitely a brother.

On Monday, Parsons, a favorite to win NFL Defensive Player of the Year, will play the role of bully older brother when trying to bring down Stroud behind the line of scrimmage at AT&T Stadium.

Good. Stroud wants Monday’s matchup to be a challenge.

“All that stuff is fun, but we will both be locked in and ready to win on Monday and ready to do our jobs to get a victory,” Stroud said Thursday of the matchup.

Once opponents in the Big Ten at Ohio State and Penn State, Parsons and Stroud first bonded when the latter appeared on the defensive end’s podcast “The Edge.” That transformed into a weekend of draft coverage with Bleacher Report.

Eventually, the two’s friendship went international as part of the ambassadors of the American football program. Stroud and Parsons visited  Beijing and Shanghai in China and Toyko in Japan while conducting football clinics.

It was there a friendship formed to brotherhood.

“(We’re) always messing with each other, always trying to one up one another,” Stroud said. “I have that relationship with my friends back home, too. I had my buddy (in Asia); he had his friend who came from home. We all just had a brotherhood when we left.”

Parsons and Stroud have something to play for beyond bragging rights. Houston (6-4) is coming off back-to-back losses after blowing first-half leads and has lost three of its last four games.

Dallas (3-6), which will be without Dak Prescott for the remainder of the season, plans on making a late push to the playoffs behind the defense’s backbone. Parsons serves as the captain. In his return last week, he recorded two sacks and a forced fumble.

“You can tell they have been dinged up a little bit,” Stroud said of the Cowboys’ defense. “Micah was a big part of that. His presence was felt against the Eagles last week.”

Stroud hasn’t gone up against Pasons in his career, but he respects his craft in a similar regard to teammate Will Anderson Jr., calling both players “relentless pass rushers” when trying to reach the quarterback.

“He is what I see in Will and what I see from those guys from the sideline, where I’m like, ‘Man, I am glad I am not on the other team,’ ” Stroud said. “He is that guy where you have to be like, ‘We’ve got to do something for this dude.’ “

Parsons has become a face of the NFL’s defensive corps. Stroud has transformed into one of the league’s top passers.

Monday will mark the first time the Texans and Cowboys have played since 2022. That December, Stroud was preparing for a College Football Playoff semifinal at Ohio State.

He now plans on winning for Houston. Maybe the NFL will transform the Lone Star Showdown into an annual rivalry with the two frienemies as headliners? 

“This will hopefully be one of many matchups,” Stroud said. “I wish him the best, and I always wish him the best.”

Kickoff is scheduled for 7:15 pm. The game will be nationally televised on ABC and ESPN. 

Texans QB C.J. Stroud comments on loss of WR Stefon Diggs

The Houston Texans will be without one of their top players in Stefon Diggs for the remainder of the 2024 season.

(This story was updated to add new information.)

Houston Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud said he didn’t have the words to describe the loss of Stefon Diggs.

It’s a next-man-up mentality inside the Texans’ locker room, but the second-year passer knows the season will be different without the four-time Pro Bowler by his side.

“You can’t really — you try to think positively about it, but it’s not a bunch of positive thoughts,” Stroud said. “I just feel bad for him. I’m praying for him.”

Diggs suffered a torn ACL on a non-contact injury during Sunday’s win over the Indianapolis Colts and will miss the remainder of the regular season. He’s expected to make a full recovery and play in 2025.
While attempting to run a route against Kenny Moore, Diggs grabbed his leg and immediately dropped to the ground. While he was able to walk off on his own pressure, he headed to the locker room and did not return to the field.

“He was having one of the best times he’s ever had on a team, at least that’s what he told us,” Stroud said. “I just feel for him and praying for him and just hoping that he keeps his head up high and he’ll bounce back even stronger.”
Acquired from the Buffalo Bills in exchange for a second-round pick, Diggs was expected to be the constant No. 2 option for Stroud’s passing attack in a breakout year.
With the Texans voiding the final years of his contract, Diggs will become a free agent next offseason, meaning he could play elsewhere in 2025.
“He’s one guy who gave his all to everything we ever asked him to do,” Texans coach DeMeco Ryans said. “He’s hurting and we’re hurting for him as well.”
A consistent playmaker during his time with the Bills and Minnesota Vikings, Diggs served as the Texans’ top option once Nico Collins was placed on the injured reserve. Before the injury, he ranked seventh in the NFL in catches (47) and was second on the Texans in receiving yards (496).

He was on pace for a season-high performance Sunday after hauling in a 49-yard catch in the third quarter. Diggs left with a team-leading five receptions for 81 yards.

“His impact is huge,” Stroud said. “Stef has been somebody who you know you can lean on as a friend, as a teammate, as a brother, somebody who gives you life advice and somebody who just is an OG, just a vet, has played a lot of ball and lived a lot of life.”

Right now, the Texans don’t seem interested in adding a receiver before the NFL trade deadline on Nov. 5. Their options are also limited after the Ravens traded for Panthers wide receiver Diontae Johnson Tuesday afternoon.

Davante Adams (Jets), Amari Cooper (Bills) and DeAndre Hopkins (Chiefs) were all other options that were traded to AFC contenders earlier this month. Jacksonville’s Christian Krik was expected to be moved before he suffered a season-ending broken collarbone on Sunday.

Houston has weapons outside Diggs and Collins, but the production hasn’t matched the hype entering Week 9. Tank Dell, who broke out with 709 receiving yards in 11 games as a rookie, is third on the Texans in receiving yards (229) and touchdowns (2).

He also caught a 7-yard touchdown pass in Sunday’s win over the Colts during the second quarter.

“Tank has been an explosive player in college he was explosive, he has been explosive for us,” Ryans said. “Tank just has to be Tank.”

 

The Texans envision Dell as a franchise cornerstone, so he’ll need to step up as the new No. 1 until Collins can return.
Dell’s not alone, however, since Robert Woods, John Metchie III and Xavier Hutchinson are all expected to produce starting Thursday night against the New York Jets.
“Everybody has got to step up,” Dell said. “Even if you are one of the star players, you still have to step up and do more and produce more. I know all of us are more than capable of doing that. So, we are going to try to go out there and make plays.”

Where does C.J. Stroud rank among starting QBs in Total QBR?

Houston quarterback C.J. Stroud remains one of the top passers in QBR rankings entering Week 6.

Despite overall offensive limitations this season, Houston Texans second-year quarterback C.J. Stroud isn’t slowing down. A week after throwing for over 300 yards in a victory over the Jacksonville Jaguars, Stroud sliced and diced the Buffalo Bills’ secondary with a 331-yard outing en route to a 23-20 win.

With that positive performance, Stroud rose from No. 11 to No. 9 in ESPN’s Total QBR rankings this week. ESPN gave Stroud a 78.4 Total QBR rating against the Bills, his best of the season.

Stroud’s traditional passer rating against Buffalo was 97.6, which actually represented one of his lower ratings of the year. It’s still a promising look, but far from the standard for the second-year target.

Unlike a traditional passer rating, the Total QBR “incorporates all of a quarterback’s contributions to winning, including how he impacts the game on passes, rushes, turnovers and penalties,” according to ESPN.

The metric also considers scenarios that a traditional passer rating overlooks and  looks at “a team’s level of success or failure on every play to provide the proper context and then allocates credit to the quarterback and his teammate to produce a clearer measure of quarterback efficiency.”

Through five games, Stroud’s thrown three interceptions and been sacked 14 times. Two turnovers came in the 34-7 loss against the Minnesota Vikings in Week 3.

Here’s a look at where Stroud stacks up against the NFL’s other starting quarterbacks entering Week 6.

NFL QBs ranked by Total QBR entering Week 6

  1. Josh Allen: 77.6
  2. Joe Burrow: 73.6
  3. Jayden Daniels: 73.2
  4. Andy Dalton: 67.1
  5. Lamar Jackson: 67.1
  6. Kyler Murray: 66.4
  7. Brock Purdy: 66.0
  8. C.J. Stroud: 64.4
  9. Baker Mayfield: 64.0
  10. Derek Carr: 63.6
  11. Geno Smith: 63.5
  12. Daniel Jones: 61.3
  13. Jalen Hurts: 59.3
  14. Sam Darnold: 58.7
  15. Dak Prescott: 56.8
  16. Patrick Mahomes: 55.8
  17. Kirk Cousins: 55.2
  18. Matthew Stafford: 53.8
  19. Trevor Lawrence: 53.2
  20. Anthony Richardson: 49.3
  21. Aaron Rodgers: 49.1
  22. Justin Fields: 48.0
  23. Jordan Love: 46.1
  24. Jared Goff: 44.8
  25. Bo Nix: 43.1
  26. Justin Herbert: 41.8
  27. Gardner Minshew: 41.1
  28. Jacoby Brissett: 38.9
  29. Caleb Williams: 36.3
  30. Will Levis: 27.3
  31. Tyler Huntley: 23.5
  32. Deshaun Watson: 21.0

Nix and the Broncos will host the Los Angeles Chargers in Week 6.

NFL analyst gives major praise to Texans QB C.J. Stroud entering Week 5

Houston Texans QB C.J. Stroud remains the talk of the NFL world entering Week 5’s matchup against the Buffalo Bills.

C.J. Stroud isn’t the next Patrick Mahomes, but the NFL analysts can’t stop gushing over his potential.

NBC Sports’ Chris Simms praised the second-year Houston Texans signal-caller following his 24-20 win over the Jacksonville Jaguars last Sunday at NRG Stadium. Houston needed 59 minutes and 42 seconds to secure a victory thanks to a 1-yard touchdown pass from Stroud to running back Dare Ogunbowale.

“He’s one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL,” Simms said during NBC’s Football Night in America broadcast. “And I’ll say this, too: I think he may be the best pocket-passing quarterback in all of football. He never misses a target.

“It doesn’t matter if you stop the Texans’ run game or not, because this guy at quarterback, with Nico Collins catching it on the other end, they’re almost unstoppable. C.J. Stroud I can not say enough good things about.”

Simms is right. The duo of Stroud and Collins has been a two-man wrecking crew keeping Houston alive at 3-1 through four weeks. In all three victories, Collins has finished with at least six catches for over 100 yards.

In the Week 3 loss against the Minnesota Vikings, Stroud tossed a pair of interceptions. Collins finished with just 86 receiving yards and only one pass over 20-plus yards downfield.

Stroud taking over games is far from new for Texans fans. Last season, he orchestrated multiple down-to-wire drives to secure the victory, including Week 9’s win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

After securing the first postseason berth in four years en route to winning Offensive Rookie of the Year, Stroud has lofty goals and high expectations to met in 2024. The Texans look to be a contender in the AFC alongside Buffalo, Baltimore and Kansas City.

With the arrival of Stefon Diggs, Houston could be a sneaky and underrated dark horse to hoist up its first Lombardi Trophy in franchise history. The league will have a better understanding of where the Texans lie when they take on the Bills this Sunday at noon CT.

Texans QB C.J. Stroud sets NFL record in Sunday night victory

Houston Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud made NFL history during the Texans 19-13 win over the Bears on Sunday Night Football in Week 2.

Houston Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud has had a historic start to his NFL career since arriving from Ohio State. On Sunday, he added another milestone in Houston’s 19-13 win over the Chicago Bears.

Stroud finished 23-of-36 passing for 260 yards and a touchdown. With a 16-yard pass to tight end Dalton Schultz in the fourth quarter, the former No. 2 overall pick surpassed Patrick Mahomes for the most passing yards in a player’s first 10 career home games, including playoffs.

Through 10 career home games, Stroud has averaged 301.6 passing yards per outing, nearly 70 more yards on the road stats. His best performance in H-Town was the Week 9 win against Tampa Bay, when he threw for 470 yards and five touchdowns.

Stroud entered 2024 as a bonafide MVP candidate and he’s done nothing to discredit the notion through games in which he’s completed 69.1% of his passes with 494 yards and three touchdowns.

Stroud and the Texans are 2-0 and already hold a two-game lead in the AFC South, as the rest of the teams are 0-2.

Houston hits the road in Week 3 to take on the undefeated Minnesota Vikings. Last week, Minnesota held the explosive San Francisco 49ers offense to 17 points.

Texans QB C.J. Stroud ranked No. 20 in NFL Top 100 Players of 2024

C.J. Stroud not only impressed the Houston Texans but also showed the NFL he’s here to take over the league moving forward.

C.J. Stroud had a rookie season for the ages in the NFL. The Houston Texans have a new face of the franchise because of his heroics in 2023. 

Entering 2024, Stroud’s peers view him as one of the league’s top players. 

Stroud, the reigning Offensive Rookie of the Year, was listed as the No. 20 overall player in the NFL’s top 100 list that will appear on NFL Network Wednesday evening. He’s now the fourth Texans player to make the list, joining wide receiver Stefon Diggs (No. 56), defensive end Danielle Hunter (No. 68) and offensive tackle Laremy Tunsil (No. 71).

“Dude came in just balling,” receiver Nico Collins said. “He came in calm, definitely came in collective. He was ready to make an impact.”

Stroud, a two-time Heisman finalist at Ohio State, carried that same mentality over to the Texans after being selected No. 2 overall in 2023. After a rocky debut against the Baltimore Ravens, Stroud began to cook, posting six 300-yard passing performances and eight multi-touchdown outings. 

“You would have never thought he was a rookie,” Jacksonville Jaguars safety Rayshawn Jenkins said. 

“He is not a rookie,” echoed Pittsburgh Steelers Pro Bowl defensive end Cam Heyward. 

In the most significant games, Stroud delivered. He led a 76-yard come drive to defeat the Tampa Bay Buccaneers with less than a minute remaining in Week 9. After blowing a lead in Week 10 against the Cincinnati Bengals, Stroud drove 55 yards in six players to set a game-winning 38-yard field goal for Matt Ammendola. 

“He has a cannon for an arm but can also throw strikes,” said New Orleans Saints linebacker Demario Davis. “His precision pass is with the best of them.” 

En route to helping the Texans clinch their first division title in four years, Stroud became the fifth rookie in league history to throw for 4,000-plus yards. He also led the league in touchdown-to-interception ratio and passing yards per game, becoming the third player to accomplish the feat in league history. 

The other two? Hall of Fame quarterback Joe Montana and G.O.A.T. Tom Brady. 

“He let the fears and the worries of a normal rookie quarterback they go through just go,” Indianapolis Colts linebacker Zaire Franklin said. “It was a couple of throws and a couple of plays that he made where it was like, ‘I don’t feel like I’m playing against a rookie.’ “

 

Stroud, who finished with 4,108 passing yards and 23 touchdown passes, threw a career-low five interceptions while posting a 100.8 passer rating, more than likely will be the sixth-ranked quarterback in the top 100.

Dallas’ Dak Prescott, Philadelphia’s Jalen Hurts and Buffalo’s Josh Allen came in ahead of him at No. 16, No. 15 and No. 12, respectively. 

Baltimore Ravens star and two-time MVP Lamar Jackson should fall in the top 10, as should three-time Super Bowl champion Patrick Mahomes. It’s clear that even though he’s young, Stroud is already among the best in the game. 

“I think the best is still yet to come for him,” Atlanta Falcons quarterback Kirk Cousins said. 

Is Texans QB C.J. Stroud a legit MVP candidate in 2024?

Houston Texans QB C.J. Stroud has an opportunity to make history for the franchise in 2024 and Vegas is high on his chances.

Houston Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud ran away with the NFL’s Offensive Rookie of the Year honors after establishing himself as the next rising passer in the pros.

Could he follow a similar path as Lamar Jackson or Patrick Mahomes and win league MVP in Year 2? While it might feel far-fetched in a competitive AFC, Vegas likes his chances entering 2024.

In the latest numbers presented by DraftKings SportsBook, Stroud appeared tied with Buffalo’s Josh Allen for the second-best odds to win the NFL’s top honor at +850. The Texans also enter with +2800 odds to win the Super Bowl after clinching the division last fall.

By no surprise, Mahomes enters the year as the betting favorite at +475. Cicinnati’s Joe Burrow (+900), Green Bay’s Jordan Love (+1400) and Jackson (+1400) round out the top five behind the two AFC studs.

Stroud, who became the fifth rookie in league history to throw for 4,000-plus yards in Year 1, seems poised to elevate his status past rising star. He’s entering another season with the same offensive identity under Bobby Slowik.

Houston also upgraded its arsenal around Stroud in free agency by trading for Bengals running back Joe Mixon and Bills Pro Bowl receiver Stefon Diggs. And if that wasn’t enough, the Texans added Stroud’s former security blanket at Ohio State in tight end Cade Stover in the draft this past April.

Should Stroud win MVP, he’d once again be fifth in league history for a distinguished honor as a second-year player to win the award, joining Dan Marino (1984), Kurt Warner (1999),  Mahomes (2018) and Jackson (2018).

Stroud would also become the first offensive player to win one of the three major awards in franchise history, as well as the Texans’ first-ever MVP. He already broke the Texans’ offensive drought last year by becoming the first player to win Rookie of the Year, along with teammate Will Anderson Jr.

Since joining the league in 2002, the Texans have only featured one representative come close to winning MVP. Three-time Defensive Player of the Year J.J. Watt was a worthy candidate after his 20.5-sack season in 2014, but finished as the runner-up to Aaron Rodgers.

Texans QB C.J. Stroud picks up MVP consideration

Houston Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud has picked up at least one MVP consideration after his Week 10 performance.

C.J. Stroud should be in the NFL MVP conversation. Anyone inside Space City over the past couple of weeks would agree with that premise.

However, it takes on a different feel when decision-makers who cast votes for the actual award start to drum up such talk.

According to Peter King from NBC Sports, the Houston Texans rookie quarterback made a convincing case throughout the club’s 30-27 win over the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 10. King noted that Stroud is on his ballot for MVP.

Considering the gravitas King has as an NFL writer since the 1980s, it isn’t hyperbole. The No. 2 overall pick’s performance against the Bengals sealed it.

Stroud’s 22 going on 32, and after the game sounded like he’d been in this situation 63 times before, and he wasn’t too upset about it. There is a sense of calm in Stroud’s orbit, the kind of calm a 22-year-old kid should not have.

“I mean, this game, it’s a players’ game,” Stroud said from the Houston locker room. “I’ve had a lot of respect for Cam Taylor-Britt over the years. He’s a player. Made a hell of a play. Of course, I just should have taken the sack there and punted. But the type of person I am, a one-play-at-a-time guy, that’s not gonna kill me. And my teammates on the sideline helped me a lot. Just telling me, ‘You’re good bro.’”

No Texans quarterback has finished in MVP voting. The closest a Texans player has come to claiming MVP was in 2014 when J.J. Watt finished second in MVP voting.

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