Houston Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud didn’t win the AFC South battle against Trevor Lawrence and the Jacksonville Jaguars on Sunday, but he continues to enter his name in the NFL record books among rookies.
Stroud threw for 304 yards in a 24-21 loss to the Jaguars to set a new record for most passing yards among rookie QBs through 11 games. He’s now up to 3,266 yards, surpassing Justin Herbert, who had 3,224 yards after 11 games in 2020.
The Ohio State product, who was the No. 2 overall pick in the 2023 draft, is on an historic pace to rewrite more records in the weeks to come. Averaging 297 passing yards per game, Stroud is likely to eclipse the all-time rookie yardage record of 4,374 yards, set by Andrew Luck in 2012.
At the time Luck played a 16-game NFL season. Although NFL teams now play a 17-game schedule, Stroud would overcome Luck in his 16th game if he continues at the same rate.
Earlier in the season, C.J. Stroud established new rookie marks for passes without an interception to start his career (192) and for most passing yards in a single game – 470 against Tampa Bay on Nov. 5.
He’s thrown for more than 300 yards in a game six times, including the last four weeks consecutively. He only needs two more 300-yard games to match Herbert’s record of eight in a season.
Stroud threw two more TD passes Sunday to up his total to 19. At the current pace, he would match Herbert’s record of 31 in the final game of the season.
C.J. Stroud falls short against Lawrence, Jaguars
Stroud and Lawrence engaged in a fierce QB battle that NFL fans could see playing out for the next several years in the AFC South. Although C.J. Stroud led the Texans to a victory over the Jaguars in Week 3, Lawrence got the better of the matchup Sunday, throwing for 364 yards and a touchdown.
In addition to his two TD passes, one to fellow rookie Tank Dell, Stroud also ran for a 1-yard score to put Houston ahead briefly in third quarter. And what followed was perhaps the most entertaining TD celebration of the day.
Stroud had a chance to execute his third fourth-quarter comeback of the season in the final three minutes. Playing at a level that belies his rookie status, Stroud used his mobility to buy time in the pocket and make plays downfield. But two sacks proved costly, and he could only move Houston as close as the Jacksonville 39-yard line.
On fourth-and-12 with 34 seconds left and no timeouts, Texans head coach DeMeco Ryans opted not to give Stroud another shot. Instead, he sent kicker Matt Ammendola out for a 58-yard field goal try to tie the game, but the kick came up barely short, hitting the crossbar.
Stroud wasn’t able to lead the Texans to victory Sunday, but the way his rookie season is going, he’ll have many more opportunities for late-game dramatics in his future.
C.J. Stroud at top of his class
C.J. Stroud has thoroughly outplayed the other quarterbacks in his rookie class.
For instance, Bryce Young, taken No. 1 overall by the Carolina Panthers, has struggled through a 1-9 season. While Stroud ranked eighth overall in QB rating (99.3) entering Week 12, Young was 34th at 74.7.
Overall, a league-record 10 rookie quarterbacks have started NFL games this season, including two undrafted free agents — Tommy DeVito (NY Giants) and Tyson Bagent (Chicago).
But none has come close to reaching the level of Stroud, who has quickly worked his way into conversations about the top 10 quarterbacks in the league.