While Patrick Mahomes has emerged as the undisputed leader in the league in the past few years, it seems like there’s a new kid on the block. CJ Stroud proved his mettle by leading the Houston Texans to their second win this season against the Chicago Bears. And not only did he secure the victory, but he also broke a huge record, held by none other than ‘Magic’ Mahomes.
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After concluding his Week 2 game, Stroud achieved the milestone of 3,016 passing yards, the most reached by a player in their career’s first 10 home games, including playoffs. Mahomes previously held the spot with 3,011 passing yards, as shared by the Houston Texans PR’s official X account.
QB @CJ7STROUD (3,016) has passed Patrick Mahomes (3,011), setting the new NFL record for most passing yards through a player’s first 10 career home games, including the playoffs. pic.twitter.com/QegK7xPGcT
— Houston Texans PR (@TexansPR) September 16, 2024
That said, this is not the first time Stroud has broken notable records. As a rookie, the quarterback set the record for the most passes without a single interception, in his very first season with the Texans.
The former number 2 overall pick only got intercepted in Week 6. Stroud also broke Dak Prescott’s record for most passes without a pick of 176 attempts with his 177th attempt in Week 5.
At 22 years and 33 days old, Stroud further achieved the title of the youngest athlete to throw 450 yards with five touchdowns, managing to escape any interceptions. Furthermore, he had a passer rating of 147.8, which is the record best for a rookie in a regular season.
While the 22-year-old quarterback’s accolades are endless, he is also emerging as a leader figure in the league. Following his game against the Chicago Bears, Stroud had some words of wisdom for the rookie he faced off against — Caleb Williams.
Caleb gets some sound advice from CJ Stroud
While the Texans’ signal-caller emerged with a score of 23 completed passes out of 36 attempts over 260 yards and one touchdown, his counterpart, Caleb Williams, had a disheartening day. The No. 1 pick of the 2024 draft managed to score 23 completions out of 27, no touchdowns with 2 interceptions. The rookie was further sacked seven times, ending his Week 2 on a sad note.
However, Stroud was there with some words to lift the young QB’s spirits. Following the game, the two were seen exchanging some words, which the Texans signal-caller later shared with the media.
“I just told him that everything that got you here is gonna take care of you in the long run,” Stroud said to reporter Melissa Stark. “Don’t put your head down, don’t let a hard time humble you. Just keep going. It’s not gonna be easy, but you got picked at No. 1 for a reason — because they trust you and they believe in you. I wish him the best. I definitely think that he’ll be better as he goes on.”
Playing the rookie season as a top pick can be daunting, and no one knows it as former No.2 pick, CJ Stroud himself. Hopefully, his words will help Caleb in the long run as he struggles to establish his presence in the NFL.
