Lamar Jackson Scouts QB C.J. Stroud: 'Better Than Me!' As Rookie - Texans at Ravens Playoffs

Lamar Jackson Scouts QB C.J. Stroud: 'Better Than Me!' As Rookie - Houston Texans at Baltimore Ravens Playoffs

C.J. Stroud is smartly saying that he and his Houston Texans try to ignore the "white noise'' of distractions and judgments, a fine policy especially now that the attention is amped up with the team's surprising advancement into and through the NFL Playoffs.

But maybe there is one asterisk that is merited. Maybe it's OK if C.J. listens to Lamar Jackson.

"From my experience,'' said the Baltimore Ravens QB, who will lead his favored team in a weekend playoff visit from the upstart Texans, "he played a lot better than I did from my rookie game, I'll say that. 

"He did great. He did great."

Indeed the standout rookie Stroud did, as in his first career playoff game, he completing 16 of 21 passes (76 percent) for 274 yards and three touchdowns in a drubbing of the favored Browns.

This week, a different challenge. In addition to boasting one of the best defenses in the league? The Ravens employ the likely soon to be two-MVP in Jackson and a balanced offensive attack with numbers overflowing.

Jackson has orchestrated one of the most explosive offenses in the league. Baltimore finished ranked fourth in scoring, averaging 28.4 points. The QB led the way while completing 67.2 percent of his passes for 3,678 yards and 24 touchdowns. He also rushed for 821 yards on 148 carries and five touchdowns.

Oh, and these teams have played. The Texans sustained a 25-9 Week 1 defeat to the Ravens on Sept. 10. Stroud completed 63.6 percent of his passes for 242 yards. Despite the loss, he gave his teammates a glimpse of his potential during his NFL debut. ... and here we are, with Lamar praising C.J. and with C.J. stressing focus.

OFFICIAL: Texans to Face Ravens in AFC Divisional Round

"We’re trying to just do our job,'' Stroud said. "We don’t really pay attention to what people say. It’s not up to them what goes on when you’re on the field ... We have complete confidence in ourselves, so we’re not really worried about what people say.''

But in this case? It's acceptable for the Texans to listen to what Lamar Jackson says.