CJ Stroud rightfully deserves all the praise for his scintillating performances this season, continually silencing the doubters. He seamlessly transitioned from the regular season to the postseason, outshining veteran QB Joe Flacco and putting on an impressive display against the league’s best defense led by Myles Garrett in the Wild Card round.
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His stellar performances against the Browns even left Lamar Jackson spellbound. Ahead of his divisional round showdown against Stroud and his mighty Texans, Lamar Jackson dished honest comparison with the rookie QB in his recent press conference.
Lamar commended CJ for delivering a more mature performance than his rookie playoff debut. The Ravens QB acknowledged that Stroud dictated his playoff debut by distributing the ball efficiently while maintaining his poise in the pocket and making crucial plays, something that Lamar struggled to accomplish during his first playoff game as a rookie.
“From my experience, he played better than I did from my rookie game, I’ll say that,” Lamar said. “He was throwing the ball all over the field, making things happen. He did great.”
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The former Louisville Cardinals QB was the youngest QB to take the field in a Wild Card round matchup, a day before his 22nd birthday. But his post-season debut didn’t go as planned.
CJ Stroud’s Playoff Debut Was Stark Opposite to that of Lamar Jackson
The Texans QB has become the talk of the town as he extended his outstanding regular season form into the playoffs. His postseason debut against the Browns stood in stark contrast to Lamar Jackson’s.
In contrast, Lamar completed only 14 of his 29 attempted passes, throwing for a mere 194 yards with 2 touchdowns. He also threw a pick and fumbled the ball at a crucial stage, leading to the Ravens’ 17-23 loss against the Chargers. Despite winning the NFL MVP the following season, Jackson has faced criticism for his playoff performance. In 5 seasons, Jackson has only secured one victory in the postseason, as per Stat Muse.
On the other hand, CJ excelled in his maiden playoff appearance, throwing for an impressive 274 yards with 3 touchdowns, contributing to a convincing 45-14 win. Stroud’s stellar performance has garnered attention from star quarterbacks, with even Mahomes expressing interest in the Texans matchup before his playoff game against the Dolphins last week. Despite the frigid conditions at Arrowhead, the two-time MVP couldn’t take his eyes off the game.
Patrick Mahomes is alone on the field watching the #texans and #browns game. pic.twitter.com/DqUyr50cAl
— James Palmer (@JamesPalmerTV) January 13, 2024
The Chiefs could have faced the Texans if the Bills had lost to the Steelers, but now Kansas City is set to travel to Buffalo for the Divisional round. Meanwhile, the Texans are now pitted against the AFC top-seeded Baltimore Ravens. Stroud has consistently surpassed everyone’s expectations, silencing doubters since his debut. Yet even for him, this upcoming game is poised to be one of the biggest and toughest challenges of the season.
It will be a daunting task as Baltimore boasts a top 6 offense and defense this season while leading the league in rushing with 156 yards. The Texans opened the season with a 9-25 defeat against John Harbaugh‘s team. Despite the loss, the Texans defense limited Jackson to 207 yards and even successfully executed a pick.
CJ Stroud enters the game with a scorching performance in the playoffs, setting a rookie record with a QBR of 157.2 as he threw three touchdowns with no interceptions. However, he faces the challenge of going up against the Baltimore secondary, responsible for holding QBs to the league’s lowest rating this season of only 74.6.
The Ravens’ pass rush is currently leading the league in 60 sacks and will give a tough fight against the Texans’ O-line, which notably didn’t allow a single sack against Myles Garrett and the formidable Browns defense.
Houston carries a 23.3% chance of overcoming the AFC top seed. Despite the slim odds, Stroud has consistently proved skeptics wrong and has the opportunity to make a lasting impression once again in the divisional round.
