We all know now that Houston Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud is one of the most remarkable rookies ever to play his position in professional football. But Stroud’s NFL debut had its rocky moments. Let’s take you back to Week 1 of the 2023 season, when Stroud had to face the Baltimore Ravens’ multi-faceted defense in Baltimore.
The Ravens won, 25-9, and Stroud completed 28 of 44 passes for 242 yards, no touchdowns, no interceptions, and a passer rating of 78.0. Stroud took five sacks. He was pressured on 25 of his 54 dropbacks, completing 11 of 17 passes for 78 yards. He attempted two passes of 20 or more air yards, completing neither. And play-action wasn’t a strength at that point, as Stroud completed four of eight play-action passes for… 26 yards.
C.J. Stroud in Week 1 against the @Ravens. Mike Macdonald had the rookie in a bag through much of the game. Baltimore's defense knows it's dealing with a different guy now. @HoustonTexans pic.twitter.com/gdGorgaFOC
— Doug Farrar ✍ (@NFL_DougFarrar) January 18, 2024
“Honestly, just really the little things,” Stroud said after that game, when asked what he learned from the experienced. “It was football at the end of the day. Just getting out of the huddle, getting the plays clean, getting guys lined up and getting the play clock, things like that. I think those are the things that kind of hindered us a little bit. And then, just being more efficient in the red zone. So those are things I would definitely get better on.”
Yeah… so far, so good. Since Week 2 of the regular season, and including his demolition of the Cleveland Browns’ top-ranked defense in the wild-card round, Stroud has become the NFL’s most efficient deep passer, with 35 deep completions in 59 attempts for a league-high 1,213 yards, nine touchdowns, no interceptions, and a league-high passer rating of 143.2. With play-action, he’s completed 77 of 117 passes for 1,416 yards, 10 touchdowns, two interceptions, and a passer rating of 128.7 — only Brock Purdy (141.0) of the San Francisco 49ers has a better play-action passer rating than Stroud’s. And when under pressure since Week 2, Stroud has completed 71 of 137 passes for 903 yards, three touchdowns, no interceptions, and a passer rating of 80.0.
C.J. Stroud under pressure now… https://t.co/0gCqBtjL5S pic.twitter.com/TaZfd1sT4B
— Doug Farrar ✍ (@NFL_DougFarrar) January 18, 2024
The Ravens have seen more than enough to know that the C.J. Stroud they handled in Week 1 is no longer that guy.
“Well, we were really impressed the first game, too,” defensive coordinator Mike Macdonald said Wednesday. “We knew going into the game that — if you remember me talking about it back then – we didn’t feel like you were going against a rookie at that point. So, you’re just seeing the natural progression over the course of the season just being more comfortable in the system. You can tell the system’s growing around [C.J. Stroud], and they’ve evolved as we have as well. I think that’s what you’re seeing, but [I] definitely have a lot of respect for what they’re doing and how he operates.”
“You would think, but not really,” edge-rusher Odafe Oweh said this week, regarding whether Week 1 will be a guide for anything. “I feel like [the Texans] are a whole different team, [and] C.J. is a whole different quarterback. I feel like we woke them up, and we matured them, and he’s been balling ever since. I’ve got a lot of respect for him and everything, but I feel like everyone on that team is a little different. In the playoffs, obviously, people play harder, so we’ve got to come with a different energy as well.”
Linebacker Roquan Smith agreed.
“I think they’re definitely improved, but so are we when you look at it. Yes, they do a lot of good things. [No.] 26 [Devin Singletary] is running the ball well. [No.] 7 [C.J. Stroud] is very accurate, and then [No.] 12 [Nico Collins], the receiver, is definitely coming on. The offense is definitely clicking, but we wouldn’t want it any other way. We’re prepared for it, and we’re ready to go to war regardless of who it’s against, and they’re the team that’s coming in here. Business is business handled.”
In this week’s “Xs and Os with Greg Cosell and Doug Farrar,” the guys get into how Stroud is different, and what the Ravens will need to do to at least contain him.
New "Xs and Os with @gregcosell" on @TheNFLWire: The past is not prologue when it comes to C.J. Stroud of the @HoustonTexans against the @Ravens' defense. In Week 1, Stroud kept everything underneath. Now, he's probably the NFL's best deep passer. Awesome matchup here. pic.twitter.com/karGUTTK6F
— Doug Farrar ✍ (@NFL_DougFarrar) January 18, 2024
You can watch this week’s episode of “The Xs and Os,” featuring all the most important matchups of the divisional round, right here:
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