Former Ohio State QB C.J. Stroud Ties Rookie Playoff Record with Texans

Former Ohio State Buckeyes quarterback C.J Stroud is wheeling and dealing for the Houston Texans in his NFL playoff debut.

Former Ohio State Buckeyes quarterback and Houston Texans rookie star C.J. Stroud had a first half to remember in his playoff debut on Saturday at NRG Stadium against the Cleveland Browns.

Despite the Ohio connection, Stroud hardly took it easy on an elite Cleveland defense and tied an NFL rookie playoff record in the process.

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As the Texans headed into halftime with a 24-14 lead, Stroud was 11 of 16 passing for 236 yards and three touchdowns. The trio of scores tied an NFL rookie playoff record for most passing touchdowns in a game, a mark Stroud reached after just one half.

The Texans also announced that Stroud's first-half passing total broke a record for the most passing yards by a rookie in the first half.

"7 has the most pass yards (236) by a rookie in the first half of a playoff game since play-by-play data has been tracked in 1991," the Texans tweeted. 

There's likely many Browns fans who double as Ohio State fans that are feeling pretty conflicted. The program's former star is now dominating a Browns team that's had one of its better and more memorable seasons in recent memory. The Texans built their lead up to 45-14 at the start of the fourth quarter and are well on the way to securing the franchise's first playoff win since 2020.

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Stroud finished the regular season 319 of 499 passing for 4,108 yards, 23 touchdowns and just five interceptions. He also added three rushing scores.

Now, he has the Texans on the cusp of advancing to the Divisional Round.