Like Angela Martin scaring Dwight Schrute off his left side, so has C.J. Stroud pulled up a seat to the table of steady quarterbacks in 2023.
The Houston Texans offense is 18th in points with 135 and 19th in yards with 2,084. However, they aren’t moribund and trapped in a rebuilding phase as opposed to last year. A key part is Stroud developing with virtually every snap and growing with each game.
One stat associated with Stroud was his pass attempts streak without an interception. The streak exemplified the No. 2 overall pick’s commitment to ball security, yet there are other areas that underscore Stroud is the real deal.
Courtesy: Pro Football Reference | All stats through Week 7
1. Passing yards
Stroud has thrown for 1,660 passing yards, even with a week off, ranks as 10th-most in the league.
2. Interceptions
Among quarterbacks who have started at least two games, Stroud has thrown the second-fewest interceptions with one. Only Tyrod Taylor (1-1) is ahead of Stroud.
3. Yards per pass attempt
The No. 2 overall pick has a 7.8 yards per pass attempt, the fourth-highest among qualifiers.
4. Yards per completion
No one has a better yards per completion among qualifiers than Stroud at 13.1.
5. Passer rating
Try 96.4, the 10th-best in the NFL. Consider Trevor Lawrence, Dak Prescott, and Jalen Hurts are below Stroud at this point.
6. YAC per completion
Stroud benefits from 5.9 yards after the catch per completion, tied with Gardner Minshew for the fourth-most in the league. One way to look at that is Stroud’s passing yards are a byproduct of his receivers’ ability to cover ground after receptions. Another way to look at it is Stroud is putting the ball on the money for his receivers to even have opportunities for chunk plays.
7. Pressure percentage
Stroud takes pressure on 24.3% of his dropbacks, representing the 10th-most in the NFL. Nevertheless the rookie is still finding success.
8. Third and fourth quarter passer rating
Among quarterbacks who have thrown at least 50 such passes in the second half of games, Stroud has the sixth-best passer rating at 99.2.
9. Touchdown passes inside the 10
Stroud is tied for the eighth-most touchdown passes inside the 10-yard line with five, which gives Houston options in goal-to-go play-calling.
10. Third down conversions by air
There are two quarterbacks atop the list with 30: Patrick Mahomes and C.J. Stroud.
