The 2023 season was a special one for the Houston Texans. They exceeded all expectations, going 10-7 and winning the AFC South with their victory over the Indianapolis Colts in Week 18. The Tennessee Titans aided them in a big way defeating the Jacksonville Jaguars in an upset on Sunday afternoon.
One of the big reasons for the Texans’ rapid turnaround has been quarterback C.J. Stroud. The No. 2 pick in the 2023 NFL Draft put together one of the best seasons for a rookie in NFL history and was a legitimate MVP candidate before missing two games late in the season because of a concussion.
Despite missing two games, Stroud still led the league in interception percentage at 1.0 percent and in yards per game with 273.9. He finished top 10 in several other categories as he quickly turned around what was an ugly Texans offense in recent seasons.
In 15 games, the Ohio State product completed 63.9 percent of his passes for 4,108 yards with 23 touchdowns and only five interceptions. He added 167 rushing yards and three more scores on the ground to round out his impressive rookie campaign stat line.
NFL News & Rumors: C.J. Stroud & Houston Texans Updates
In the process, Stroud set multiple NFL and franchise records. With his performance in Week 18, he broke a record that has stood since 1932. That year, Arnie Herber of the Green Bay Packers became the youngest player, at 22 years and 260 days, to lead the league in touchdown-to-interception ratio.
In that season, Herber threw nine touchdowns and had nine interceptions. Stroud, at 22 years and 96 days, is now the youngest with his 23-and-5 season. He is the first rookie to lead the league in that stat since 1946 when Paul Governali led the league with the Boston Yanks.
When you are setting a record from back when the forward pass was just becoming a thing in the NFL, you know you are accomplishing a rare feat. Stroud has put the Texans back on the map with his performance as he looks to be one of the true stars in the league at the quarterback position.
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