C.J. Stroud Increases Hype For 2024 After Dominating Pro Bowl Game

Houston Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud capped off his unreal rookie season with a dominant showing in the Pro Bowl Games.

If the hype surrounding C.J. Stroud's second season with the Houston Texans hadn't reached new skyrocket heights, it surpassed that level by the fourth quarter of the Pro Bowl. 

Stroud, who became the first rookie quarterback since Mac Jones to participate in the Pro Bowl, made headlines as the AFC's top passer in a 64-59 loss to the NFC roster in the Pro Bowl games. 

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Stroud and the offense were stopped short on 4th-and-goal from the 3-yard line on a pass breakup by Bears cornerback Jaylon Johnson with four seconds remaining. 

The favorite to win Offensive Rookie of the Year, Stroud was arguably the most impressive player Sunday at Camping World Stadium, where the AFC won the flag football game 50-34. He threw for a game-high 173 yards and two touchdowns, including a highlight off-balanced touchdown pass to Bengals' Ja'Marr Chase during the second quarter. 

“He’s my youngest quarterback, he’s got the livest arm, the most energy,” AFC coach and Hall of Fame passer Peyton Manning said on the ESPN broadcast. “Gardner [Minshew] and Tua [Tagovailoa] were content with this decision to bring the young buck in. I like the guy who wants to be in there in the fourth quarter. Both of those guys do as well, so I’m going with C.J. to bring this home for us.”

Stroud set up one of the top touchdown passes in recent Pro Bowl history. During the second quarter on fourth-and-goal, the Texans rookie connected with Chargers' All-Pro receiver Keenan Allen, who remained behind the line of scrimmage, biding his time for Evan Engram to get open at the back corner of the end zone for a touchdown. 

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Allen finished with a team-leading four touchdowns (three catches, one pass), including one from Stroud. Stroud connected on three two-point conversions, too. 

"It's been amazing being around great players," Stroud said. "Just try to get to know people. Had a good time here, and hopefully, it's the first of many."

Stroud, who guided Houston to a seven-win turnaround, also made headlines with his performance in the Precision Passing skills challenge on Thursday evening. Defeating both Tagovailoa and Minshew to advance to the final, Stroud battled Buccaneers' star Baker Mayfield for the title. 

Mayfield led 9-8 going into Stroud's final throw, who tried to connect on a 50-yard pass for 10 points. The ball landed at the front of the target, barely missing the bucket for the win. 

“I’ve got a lot of respect for Bake, I’ve been watching him since college, but it’s a young dude’s league, so I’ve got to go take over,” Stroud said before the finals. 

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Rookie defensive end Will Anderson Jr. and offensive tackle Laremy Tunsil also represented the Texans, but without tackling or pads, their roles differed from in years past. 

Both were part of an AFC squad that competed in an event called 'Move the Chains' where the big guys had to team up to pull a 2,000-pound wall. Anderson, who set the Texans' franchise rookie record in sacks, also participated in side drills during commercial breaks. 

Both Anderson and Tunsil were also part of a gauntlet race.