Texans C.J. Stroud Wins Offensive Player Of The Week Following Playoff-Clinching Win

Stroud's consistency has led the Texans to their first playoff appearance in four seasons.

Another week, another set of awards for Houston Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud. 

Stroud was named the AFC's Week 18 Offensive Player of the Week after guiding Houston to a 23-19 win over the Indianapolis Colts that helped secure a postseason berth for the first time since 2019. 

In his first primetime appearance, Stroud was clutch, completing 20-of-26 passes for 264 yards, two touchdown passes, and an AFC-best 134.1 passer rating. Stroud made his presence felt from the jump, connecting with Nico Collins for a 75-yard touchdown on the first offensive play to give Houston a 7-3 lead. 

When the pressure was forming, Stroud remained calm and in his element. In need of a score entering the fourth quarter, the rookie passer engineered a 12-play, 73-yard scoring drive, going 7-for-7 for 82 yards in the process. 

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Saturday marked Stroud’s rookie-leading third game-winning drive. The victory also helped Houston secure its first division title since 2019 a day later, following Jacksonville's 28-20 loss against Tennessee. 

“C.J. – he doesn't surprise me," said Texans coach DeMeco Ryans. "We've talked about it earlier in the week with C.J. just being special in these big-time moments. When we need him most to step up and make plays, he has done it time after time throughout the entire year. It's not surprising to anyone. That's who he is. He is one of the best passers in this league, and he shows it consistently game in and game out.”

Stroud and Ryans became the first rookie coach-quarterback combo to win a division title in league history. Stroud also became the fifth rookie to throw for 4,000 yards in their first season, joining Andrew Luck, Justin Herbert, Cam Newton and Jameis Winston. 

Luck, Herbert and Newton all won Offensive Rookie of the Year for their efforts. Stroud, who finished the regular season with 23 TDs against five interceptions, is the favorite to take home the honor. 

Stroud also became just the third player in NFL history to lead the NFL in passing yards per game and touchdown-interception ratio in the same season, joining the likes of Joe Montana and Tom Brady.

'He is Awesome': C.J. Stroud Brings New Challenge for Browns

Stroud’s honor marks the 57th time a Texan has been named Player of the Week and the 20th time an offensive player has won the award in franchise history. It also sets a new team record for most Player of the Week awards in a single season with six, while being tied for the second-most in the NFL this year.

The Texans will host the Cleveland Browns on Saturday at 3:30 p.m. to kickstart the Super Wild Card weekend. The game will be nationally televised on NBC.