Houston Texans rookie quarterback C.J. Stroud had himself a night in his NFL playoff debut. Not only did he lead the Texans to a 45-14 win over the Cleveland Browns, but Stroud completed 16-of-21 passes for 274 yards and three touchdown passes, most of which came in the first half.
The performance was great on its own, it also provided further proof that Stroud deserves to be the NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year (although that award is only based on stats from the regular season). But Stroud also set several rookie firsts in the victory.
Here are five records Stroud set in his playoff victory.
Most first-half passing yards by a rookie
Stroud utterly dominated the first half against the vaunted Browns defense. He sliced up Cleveland’s secondary with a couple of big plays, including a 38-yard pass to wide receiver Nico Collins, a 27-yard pass to wide receiver John Metchie III, a 76-yard catch-and-run touchdown by tight end Brevin Jordan and a 37-yard touchdown catch by tight end Dalton Schultz to end the half.
He finished the first half with 236 passing yards, which broke a the record previously held by by Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott (during the 2016 playoffs) and San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy (during the 2022 playoffs). Both threw for 147 passing yards, per NFL research.
The Texans were so far ahead in the second half that Stroud barely had to throw the ball again and therefore fell well short of the rookie playoff single-game record of 385 yards set by Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson during the 2012 offseason.
Youngest QB to win a playoff game
Stroud was already one of the youngest quarterbacks to start a postseason game. But at 22 years and 102 days old, Stroud also became the youngest quarterback to win a postseason game.
C.J. Stroud, at 22 years and 102 days old, is now the fourth-youngest QB to ever start a postseason game.
And he is now the youngest QB to ever win a postseason game. pic.twitter.com/Mbud9LiZ0B
— Benjamin Solak (@BenjaminSolak) January 14, 2024
Highest draft QB to win a playoff game
This one is bit mind-blowing. Before Stroud’s victory, the highest-drafted quarterback to win a playoff game during his rookie season was Mark Sanchez for the New York Jets. Sanchez was the No. 5 pick overall pick when he won in 2008. Stroud, meanwhile, went No. 2 overall.
Stroud becomes the highest-drafted rookie QB to win a playoff game, surpassing Sanchize. #Jets @ESPNStatsInfo pic.twitter.com/PjYU7BzHte
— Rich Cimini (@RichCimini) January 14, 2024
This is less about the player and more about the situation, though. Highly-drafted quarterbacks rarely play for teams with playoff aspirations – that’s why they were probably drafting so high in the first place. But what Stroud has done in conjunction with the offense Bobby Slowik built is nothing short of incredible.
Highest expected points added (EPA) per dropback
Stroud wasn’t just effective, he was efficient. He completed 76% of his passing on only 21 attempts, but also rattled off a couple of huge 20-plus yard plays that either resulted in touchdowns or set the Texans up to score.
More than that, though, Stroud had a +0.69 EPA/dropback, which is the highest for a rookie quarterback in a playoff game since NextGen Stats started tracking quarterbacks.
C.J. Stroud averaged a career-high +0.69 EPA per dropback in his postseason debut, the most by a rookie QB in a playoff game in the NGS era.
Stroud completed 7 of 8 passes under pressure for 118 yards and was not sacked.#CLEvsHOU | #WeAreTexans pic.twitter.com/7y3Toonrvu
— Next Gen Stats (@NextGenStats) January 14, 2024
First rookie to beat a former Super Bowl winner in playoffs
Stroud outplayed his Joe Flacco opponent in this match despite the veteran’s playoff experience – especially in the wild card. Stroud’s victory over Flacco marked the sixth time a rookie quarterback faced off against a former Super Bowl champion as well. But the Texans passer was the only one of the six to win his matchup, per OptaStats.
C.J. Stroud is the first rookie QB to defeat a former Super Bowl-winning QB in a playoff game. Rookies had gone 0-5 in such games:
2004 – Roethlisberger vs. Brady
2008 – Ryan vs. Warner
2008 – Flacco vs. Roethlisberger
2009 – Sanchez vs. Manning
2016 – Prescott vs. Rodgers— OptaSTATS (@OptaSTATS) January 14, 2024
There are some impressive names on that list – Flacco included. Flacco and former Pittsburgh Steelers quaterback Ben Roethlisberger both eventually ended up winning Super Bowls after their rookie playoff defeats. We’ll see if Stroud gets his sooner than they did.
