C.J. Stroud had one of the best rookie seasons in NFL history. The Houston Texans star threw for 4,108 yards during his Rookie of the Year-winning campaign. The Ohio State product broke numerous records in the process. Notably, Stroud became just the third quarterback to lead the league in both touchdown-to-interception ratio and passing yards per game. All-time NFL greats Joe Montana and Tom Brady were the only other players to accomplish that feat.
Stroud also tied the rookie record for touchdown passes in a playoff game. In that 45-13 win over the Cleveland Browns, Stroud became the youngest quarterback to ever win a playoff matchup. There were big expectations heading into his second season, but Stroud had somewhat of a sophomore slump. Stroud's numbers regressed to just 3,727 yards and 20 touchdowns in year two, and the Texans were forced to be heavily reliant on their defense.
Many quarterbacks struggle in their second seasons as opposing defenses are oftentimes able to find things that work against still-young quarterbacks after a year of tape is available. Stroud was expected to return to elite status during the 2025 season, but he got off to an ugly start that has some calling him a fraud.
C.J. Stroud struggles against the Rams
The Texans lost 14-9 in their Week 1 matchup against the Los Angeles Rams. The defense was again great, but Stroud and the offense struggled to get anything going. Stroud threw for just 188 yards, and his offense was never able to punch the ball into the end zone. The usually risk-averse quarterback even threw a costly interception.
The disappointing performance through the air was a particular letdown because the Texans have a great receiving corps. Nico Collins, Jayden Higgins, and Jaylin Noel did next to nothing in a game in which Christian Kirk sat out, though. Higgins was the leading receiver, but he had just 32 yards.
Nothing developed downfield for the Texans' offense, and their drives were often short and ineffective. The Rams were far from brilliant on offense, but Matthew Stafford was at least able to get some things going, and he was even playing with a bad back.
The Rams do have an impressive defense, but such a poor performance was inexcusable for Houston. Stroud still has MVP potential, but with each passing poor performance, it is looking more and more like his rookie season was a fluke. Stroud will need a huge performance and a couple of wins in the coming weeks to buck the fraud label.
