Houston Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud has changed the franchise. Before the start of the season, let’s face it: most of us didn’t expect much from them. A subpar supporting cast, a new head coach, and a questionable defense led many to believe they would be near the bottom of the AFC. Fast forward to now, and the Texans have a chance to win the AFC South thanks to their signal-caller’s outstanding rookie year thus far. But, is C.J. Stroud actually an MVP candidate?
Why Can’t A Rookie Win The Most Valuable Player Award?
No, seriously. Why not, right?
This man has made Nico Collins, Noah Brown, Dalton Schultz, and Tank Dell look like studs as receivers (or for Schultz’s case, tight ends). Collins leads the team in receiving yards, the rookie Dell is on top of the board in touchdowns for the team, and Brown has been a revelation in recent weeks. As for Schultz, he’s near the top of the rankings in production from a tight end (especially after a 10-catch, 130-yard performance against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers two weeks ago).
As for Stroud himself, holy cow. He is second in the league in passing yards (2,626), ahead of guys like Patrick Mahomes, Tua Tagovailoa, and Jalen Hurts among others. Who’s in first, you ask? Washington Commanders quarterback Sam Howell. What a world we live in.
The rookie is averaging 8.3 yards per pass completion (3rd), 291.8 yards per game (1st), 15 touchdowns (tied for 9th), and has just two interceptions on the season. His QBR of 63.3 puts him exactly at 10th in that category, and for those who care about quarterback rating, his is 101.0 (good for sixth-best in the league).
Tired of numbers? Too bad. You need them. After an 0-2 start to the year, Houston has gone 5-2 in their last seven games. At this point last year, there were 1-8-1. Quite a turnaround, no?
C.J. Stroud dominated last week then turned around and said "watch me do it again" 😎 pic.twitter.com/ZG59zXRhka
— NFL (@NFL) November 13, 2023
Scoring just 17.0 points per game last year (third-worst in the NFL), they are up to 24.1 PPG this year. This is good for the tenth-best in the league. Big improvement, there. Also, Houston is averaging 372.6 yards per game (6th). All of this is despite the team’s subpar running game (98.2 YPG is among the league’s worst).
C.J. Stroud: The highest-graded QB over the past two weeks 👀 pic.twitter.com/K5lKH1qZ6t
— PFF (@PFF) November 14, 2023
Conclusion
Let’s face it. The usual candidates in the MVP conversation are guys like Patrick Mahomes, Jalen Hurts, Lamar Jackson, and others. But, these guys have not played to the level that Stroud has been doing so this year. Their teams have better records. But, the Houston Texans would not be where they are right now without Stroud.
Whether it’s being in the top ten in all major statistical categories, making fourth-quarter comebacks, or just making outstanding throws, C.J. Stroud is on a tear this year. Let’s make this the year a rookie wins the MVP award. The normal Rookie of the Year award is not enough.
So the question is: is Houston Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud actually an MVP candidate? Yes, yes he is.
If you really want to know how special C.J. Stroud is just watch this play.
— V̷a̷t̷o̷r̷ (@VatorSports) November 13, 2023
This is NOT normal. 😱
via @JoeGoodberrypic.twitter.com/61Vh7zgu6b
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