Houston Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud, the second overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft, has had a rookie season that can be summed up in one word: historic.
In the regular season, Stroud set the NFL all-time rookie, single-game passing yards record (470) while simultaneously tying the rookie, single-game passing touchdowns record (five) in a 39-37 Week 9 win against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He put together a similarly dominant outing in his NFL playoff debut: 274 passing yards and three passing touchdowns (tying the NFL rookie, single-game record) on 16 of 21 passing while being pulled midway through the fourth quarter in a 45-14 victory over the fifth-seeded Cleveland Browns.
The win vaults him past former Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Vick, the first overall pick of the 2001 NFL Draft, as the new youngest starting quarterback in league history to come out victorious in a playoff game.
Youngest starting QBs to win playoff game
in NFL history
| Season | QB | Years-Days |
|---|---|---|
2023 | HOU C.J. Stroud | 22-102 |
2002 | ATL Michael Vick | 22-192 |
1999 | TB Shaun King | 22-231 |
2004 | PIT Ben Roethlisberger | 22-319 |
Stroud is also only the fourth rookie passer selected in the first round to win a playoff game joining former Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger (2004 season), his postseason opponent on Saturday Joe Flacco back when he was a Baltimore Raven (2008), and former New York Jets quarterback Mark Sanchez (2009). Since he was selected second overall in the 2023 draft, Stroud became the highest-drafted rookie to ever win a playoff game. That record used to belong to Sanchez, the fifth overall pick in the 2009 NFL Draft.
The Texans also made history as a team thanks to Stroud's big day: Houston is now the first team in 42 years, the first since the New York Giants in the 1981 season, to win a playoff game with 200-1 or longer preseason Super Bowl odds (200-1). They also became only the sixth team in the Super Bowl era, since 1966, to earn a victory in the postseason after winning three or fewer games the previous season, excluding strike seasons joining the 1984 New York Giants, the 2000 New Orleans Saints, the 2006 New Orleans Saints, the 2017 Jacksonville Jaguars and the 2022 Jacksonville Jaguars. The Texans' AFC Divisional Round opponent is undetermined with many potential options pending the results of the next few days of postseason action.