Houston Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud continues to rack up honors during what has been one of the most greatest rookie seasons in NFL history.
Stroud’s latest accolade was being named AFC Offensive Player of the Week for his clutch performance in the Texans’ 23-19 victory over the Indianapolis Colts to send Houston to the playoffs as the AFC South champion.
Regardless of the awards, it’s what others are saying about C.J. Stroud that’s even more impressive, especially when the praise comes from a Hall of Fame quarterback.
On Tuesday, Peyton Manning appeared on the “This Is Football” show and talked about the rookie-record 28 interceptions he threw in 1998. That allowed him to transition quickly to a discussion about Stroud’s season.
“I mean, C.J. Stroud, the way he’s played this year, like the respect I have for his season I can’t describe it enough because of what my rookie season was like,” said Manning, who was drafted No. 1 overall in 1998. “I mean, I always say it’s tough being a rookie in the NFL. C.J. Stroud is like, ‘I don’t like that talk.’ it was extremely tough for me.”
Manning, a five-time NFL MVP and two-time Super Bowl champion, threw 26 TD passes to go with his 28 touchdowns and completed 56.7 percent of his passes for the Indianapolis Colts, who went 3-13.
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C.J. Stroud ‘figured that out much quicker than I did’
C.J. Stroud, the No. 2 overall pick last April, has thrown 23 TD passes and only five interceptions and finished the season ranked eighth in both passer rating and passing yards (4,108).
He likely would have broken Andrew Luck’s rookie record for most passing yards in a season had he not missed missing two weeks in December while he was concussion protocol. Regardless, Stroud is considered the favorite to be named the NFL’s Offensive Rookie of the Year.
Last week was his second game back, and in a must-win game, Stroud led the Texans on a go-ahead touchdown drive and was nearly impeccable. He completed 20-of-26 passes for 264 yards and two scores and, more importantly, got Houston into the playoffs for the first time since 2019.
Host Kevin Clark asked Manning to expand on how tough it is for a rookie quarterback to avoid turnovers. He said it was combination of the speed of the defense and him not speeding himself up too much to compensate for the speed difference between the college and pro games.
“I think C.J. has figured that out so much quicker than I did,” Manning said. “It took me a whole season.”
Stroud will have to figure it out at least one more time when the Texans (10-7) host the Cleveland Browns and their No. 1 defense in an AFC wild-card game Saturday.