C.J. Stroud completed 18-of-32 passes for 165 yards, zero touchdowns and zero interceptions in the Texans’ 34-10, Divisional Round loss to the Ravens.

21 January 2024

Coming off a scintillating Wild Card performance, Stroud’s sensational rookie year ended with a scoreless dud in Baltimore as he tried to make do without Tank Dell and Noah Brown. The owner of several rookie records — including most passes to begin a career without an interception and the single-game rookie passing mark (470) — Stroud had the looks of the best first-year quarterback since Justin Herbert, and perhaps even Cam Newton. He did it his own way, slinging it like a seasoned veteran. There was arguably too much hand-holding from OC Bobby Slowik. Stroud proved capable of putting the Texans’ offense on his back even when it was ravaged by injury. Dell’s season-ending loss in December was a major blow, while literally the entire skill corps of Dell, Brown, Nico Collins, Robert Woods and Dalton Schultz dealt with injury of some sort. Having just turned 22 in October, Stroud heads into the offseason with almost unlimited career potential. He’s already one of the 5-6 most important players in the entire NFL.